Providing a diversity of choice for a diversity of adult smokers can unlock the door to a smoke-free future
PMI’s ambition is to replace every cigarette for all adults who would otherwise continue to smoke with science-based smoke-free products, as soon as possible.
To achieve this, we must first deliver a range of smoke-free products to satisfy the various taste, usage, technology, and price preferences among this vast group of people.
That’s why we’re continuing to grow our multicategory portfolio of science-based better alternatives to cigarettes—ensuring we can meet the needs and expectations of every adult smoker in every part of the world.
Today, thanks to our advances in this critical space, PMI is leading the way in smoke-free products.
However, it will take the support and concerted efforts of all key parties—from policymakers to the scientific community—to ensure all adult smokers who would otherwise continue to smoke are given access to, and correct information about, these science-backed innovations.
Putting the consumer at the core of harm reduction
Music starts
Words are seen on screen: What will it take for those adult smokers who don’t quit
To switch to a better alternative and stop smoking?
Gregoire Verdeaux, Senior Vice President, External Affairs for Philip Morris International, speaks to camera:
If you put the consumer at the very, very start, then you will meet what we call the four A’s: the availability of the product...
Lars Dahlgren, President, Smoke-Free Oral Products of Philip Morris International and CEO Swedish Match, speaks to camera:
Make the products available to consumers in a responsible way,
The consumers will start making the journey and discover the benefits.
Gregoire Verdeaux, Senior Vice President, External Affairs for Philip Morris International, speaks to camera:
… The awareness of consumers that a better alternative exists
Moira Gilchrist, Chief Communications Officer of Philip Morris International, speaks to camera:
We have a very extensive body of science that shows unequivocally that these products are better than smoking.
Gregoire Verdeaux, Senior Vice President, External Affairs for Philip Morris International, speaks to camera:
… The affordability of that product
Stefano Volpetti, President, Smoke-Free Products and Chief Consumer Officer of Philip Morris International, speaks to camera:
Provide better alternatives to all smokers.
Provide a range of technologies, user experience, taste and price points that can cater for all smokers around the world.
Gregoire Verdeaux, Senior Vice President, External Affairs for Philip Morris International, speaks to camera:
… and of course, finally, acceptability.
Moira Gilchrist, Chief Communications Officer of Philip Morris International, speaks to camera:
There’s not going to be one product that suits the needs to every single person who smokes.
Bin Li, Chief Product Officer of Philip Morris International, speaks to camera:
When we ask people to quit smoking and change to smoke-free products,
Their taste, their preferences will be different, will be diverse.
Having a few product categories, having a few choices for our consumers, it will make them easier to switch.
Jacek Olczak, Chief Executive Officer of Philip Morris International, speaks to camera:
I’m very open to having a very mature conversation.
How we can orchestrate the system, how we can orchestrate the policy with different interventions, alternative products, what else can we do about the smokeable products, etc,
Which ultimately will drive the full elimination of cigarettes.
Philip Morris International logo appears on screen.
Delivering a better, smoke-free future.
Music ends.
New approach required
We are clear that the best choice any smoker can make is to quit smoking and stop using nicotine products altogether—but the reality is that many don’t.
In fact, we know that in any given year, only one in 10 adult smokers will successfully quit smoking.
Despite the widely known health risks of cigarette smoking, there are still estimated to be around one billion smokers today, and based on current trends this figure is not expected to change in the near future.
This shows that cessation strategies alone, whilst effective, are not sufficient.
Those adults who continue to smoke deserve a pragmatic approach and the opportunity to switch to a better alternative that can enable them to move away from cigarettes for good.
Today, these pioneering alternatives to smoking exist.
Better choices for a better future
Products that eliminate combustion—such as e-vapor devices, heated tobacco products, and oral smokeless products—are a much better choice for adults than continued smoking.
Why? Because it’s the high levels of harmful compounds found in cigarette smoke, generated by the combustion of tobacco, that are the leading cause of smoking-related diseases.
While smoke-free products that provide nicotine, which is addictive, are not risk-free, the absence of combustion can significantly reduce the average levels of harmful chemicals compared to cigarettes.
For more than a decade, PMI has leveraged technology and science to develop, assess, and commercialize these less harmful alternatives to cigarettes.
Since 2008, we have invested USD >12.5 billion in the development, scientific substantiation, manufacturing, commercialization, and continuous innovation of smoke-free products to help adults who would otherwise continue to smoke switch to smoke-free alternatives.
Broadening our portfolio
By continuing to seize new opportunities to expand our range of smoke-free products, we’ll be better positioned to achieve our 2030 goal of becoming two-thirds majority smoke-free product company.
From our leading heated tobacco system to our responsibly commercialized e-vapor and oral smokeless products, we are building our future on a multicategory portfolio of scientifically backed smoke-free products for those adults who would otherwise continue to smoke.
Our smoke-free products deliver nicotine, as this is one of the characteristics—along with taste and ritual—adult smokers look for in alternative products.
Of course, consumer acceptance of better alternatives to cigarettes is a critical component in our effort to move away from cigarettes entirely.
Even the product with the lowest level of risk would not bring benefits to consumers and public health if adult smokers did not switch to it.
Product development driven by consumers’ needs and expectations and backed by scientific substantiation is paramount, as it is key to delivering on consumer acceptance.
Tobacco harm reduction: Accelerating society’s smoke-free journey
PMI understands that no one product will address all adult smokers’ individual preferences.
To achieve a smoke-free future, it’s critical we make a multi-category portfolio of science-based better alternatives available to those who would otherwise continue to smoke.
Further to that, we need governments and regulators to acknowledge that cessation strategies don’t work for everyone—and that supplementing these efforts with a tobacco harm reduction approach can accelerate a decline in smoking.
We know that if better alternatives to smoking are made available, and enough adult smokers switch to them, we can more rapidly achieve a significant milestone in global health—a world without cigarettes.
Who wouldn’t want to help deliver a future like that?
