Preserve nature

Natural capital is a wealth we all share and depend on. It is essential that we protect, sustainably manage, and nurture it.

 

 

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Our 2025 Roadmap goal

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PRESERVE NATURE

Promote biodiversity, address critical water challenges, ensure no conversion of natural ecosystems, and halt deforestation in both our tobacco and pulp and paper supply chains.

Key performance indicators to track our progress

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Learn more about PMI’s Sustainability Index in our Integrated Report 2022. See the full performance metrics and related footnotes here.

The right thing to do

We collectively depend on soil, land, forests, and water, which provide ecosystem services critical to human existence.

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The right thing to do

We collectively depend on soil, land, forests, and water, which provide ecosystem services critical to human existence. Moreover, a healthy natural ecosystem plays a vital role in tackling climate change, with land and oceans absorbing and storing carbon from the atmosphere. Yet species richness and natural resources are being lost at an alarming rate. Global scientific studies indicate that biodiversity is deteriorating worldwide at rates unprecedented in human history, with one million plant and animal species facing extinction, thousands of species already extinct, and several million hectares of natural forest lost each year despite international efforts to counter the trend. The unsustainable use of natural resources can lead to the loss of fundamental ecosystem services we depend on, including soil fertility, clean air and water, protection from natural disasters, and recreational and cultural inspiration, and a subsequent loss of economic value. Often, it is the world’s most impoverished communities that are most vulnerable to the negative impacts of changes in climate, biodiversity, and ecosystem functions.

The business case

As a business with an agricultural supply chain, it is paramount that we take needed steps to protect and preserve the ecosystems where we operate.

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The business case

Our business activities rely on healthy ecosystems. The degradation and loss of natural capital can cause disruptions and increase production costs. The raw materials used in our products rely on fertile soil, stable climate conditions, and access to water. As a business with an agricultural supply chain, it is paramount that we take needed steps to protect and preserve the ecosystems where we operate. Even small changes to the balance of the natural environment can damage crop productivity, increase production costs linked to remediation and adaptation measures, and negatively impact farmers’ livelihoods.

Promoting the efficient use of natural resources and taking steps to protect, preserve, and improve them help manage risks and prepare us to meet regulatory frameworks that may emerge in response to increased awareness of our limited planetary boundaries, ecosystem degradation, and biodiversity loss. Further, we understand that we all have a responsibility to halt the destruction of natural habitats, including avoiding and compensating for losses, and failure to play our part in helping address this global issue could lead to reputational damage for our company.

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Our progress in 2022

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Related articles, case studies, and videos
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Zoom in: Preserving Nature

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Supply chain landscape

Managing our supply chain sustainably

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Related reports, policies, and documents

Environmental Commitment

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Responsible Sourcing Principles

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Good Agricultural Practices (GAP)

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Zero Deforestation Manifesto

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Water Stewardship Policy

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ESG KPI protocol 2022

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Preserve nature report

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Responsible Sourcing Principles implementation guidance

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Looking ahead

PMI’s strategy on biodiversity and water consolidates existing targets and actions to address impacts of our business on nature, while also updating our directional ambition for 2033 and expressing longer-term goals for 2050. As a global player with a diversified value chain, we recognize the role we can play in taking actions to halt biodiversity losses and are committed to contribute to a nature-positive future in line with the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.


In 2023, we plan to update our company’s Environmental Commitment to reflect latest developments in our work and our newly established nature-related ambitions. We will also continue aligning our work with relevant updates on international methodologies, such as the Science-Based Targets for Nature (SBTN) and the guidance from the SBTi to set Forest, Land, and Agriculture (FLAG) science-based targets, and share best practices with others by participating in relevant forums and working groups.

 

Scott Coutts, Senior Vice President, Operations

Considering the substantial impact that agriculture has on nature, our tobacco-related environmental programs are critical to our aspiration to preserving nature. In 2023, we will remain committed to progress against our deforestation-free supply chain ambition, foster the application of our Good Agricultural Practices governing the production of our tobacco, promote water stewardship and the efficient usage of natural resources, and ultimately contribute to the Science-Based Targets for Nature (SBTN) that we will set to guide our roadmap to reducing our environmental impacts.

 

Pedro Braga, Vice President, Global Technical Operations

With our new nature-related ambition as a compass, we are committed to rigorously look at and address the most relevant pressures on nature generated by our operations and value chain, with a focus on ecosystem use and use change.


As part of our climate strategy and accounting for synergies with our nature protection ambition, we will continue to identify and invest in nature-based solutions that focus on protecting nature by avoiding deforestation, improving nature through community projects, and fostering natural ecosystems beyond forests.


We are on track to achieving a deforestation-free supply chain and are committed to accelerating our afforestation and reforestation efforts in the years to come to contribute to our no net loss ambitions. Moving forward, we intend to extend our water stewardship efforts in our non-tobacco supply chain, and notably across our supply of electronics, paper and pulp-based materials, and other agricultural products. We plan to work collaboratively with suppliers and key stakeholders to drive water circularity and resilience, starting with priority areas in our supply chain. This entails, as the first step, expanding our water risk assessment process within the coming years to cover the most relevant categories of materials. We will then fine-tune a detailed roadmap to 2033 by integrating water stewardship milestones, including specific targets, and fully developing the interlinks with other areas of environmental sustainability such as biodiversity protection and waste management. Meanwhile, we will continue certifying our manufacturing sites to the Alliance for Water Stewardship standard, prioritizing our efforts based on production volume and type, water consumption, and internal capacity.

 

Mimi Kurniawan, Vice President, Operations Sustainability

This online content about our Integrated Report should be read in conjunction with PMI’s Integrated Report 2022. Unless otherwise indicated, the data contained herein cover our operations worldwide for the full calendar year 2022 or reflect the status as of December 31, 2022. Where not specified, data comes from PMI financials, non-financials, or estimates. Unless explicitly stated, the data, information, and aspirations referenced do not incorporate PMI’s Vectura Fertin Pharma business (consolidating the 2021 acquisitions of wellness and healthcare companies Fertin Pharma A/S, Vectura Group plc., and OtiTopic, Inc.), nor the late 2022 acquisition of Swedish Match AB. Please also refer to 'This report at a glance' on page 2 of the Integrated Report 2022 for more information. Aspirational targets and goals do not constitute financial projections, and achievement of future results is subject to risks, uncertainties and inaccurate assumptions, as outlined in our forward-looking and cautionary statements on page 214. In the Integrated Report 2022 and in related communications, the terms “materiality,” “material,” and similar terms, when used in the context of economic, environmental, and social topics, are defined in the referenced sustainability standards and are not meant to correspond to the concept of materiality under the U.S. securities laws and/or disclosures required by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.


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