BAT is building A Better Tomorrow™

As an organization, BAT is committed to building A Better Tomorrow™ by reducing the health impact of its business. BAT invests more than £300 million per year to develop new tobacco and nicotine products and to ensure that they evolve as the technology, science and consumer preferences change. To accelerate the next phase of our transformation journey, we are now committing to “Building a Smokeless World”, with 50% of our revenue from non-combustible products by 2035. We will deploy our global multi-category portfolio with a wide range of enjoyable and less risky products to actively encourage smokers to ‘Switch to Better’ nicotine products.

BAT has developed a range of New Category products that contain nicotine but do not burn tobacco. This results in far fewer and lower levels of toxicants compared to traditional cigarette smoke. While not risk-free, the available evidence suggests they are less risky* than continuing to smoke. BAT’s three New Category products are: vapor - VUSE, tobacco and herbal heating products – glo, and modern oral (nicotine pouches) - VELO.

Tobacco Harm Reduction is a public health strategy that recognizes the harm caused by combustible cigarettes and aims to minimize the health impacts of cigarette smoking by encouraging those adult smokers who would otherwise continue to smoke, to switch completely to scientifically substantiated, reduced-risk alternatives*. Beyond being less risky, these alternatives must deliver comparable satisfaction, and their functionalities, usage and scientific evidence to be communicated accurately.

Our commitment to reducing the health impact of our business is helping to deliver ground-breaking scientific advances and supports consumer choice. The results of tests and studies we have conducted have generated evidence that supports our belief that heating tobacco and vaping products are reduced-risk* products compared to continuing to smoke cigarettes. The testing includes behavioral, chemical, biological, clinical and population studies.

However, it’s vital to recognize the important role consumers’ perceptions play, to understand their perspective and also their expectations for alternatives to smoking. As a consumer-centric business, BAT is committed to offering adult smokers viable alternatives such as glo, our innovative tobacco and herbal heating product, and Vuse, our vaping product, and contribute to tobacco harm reduction strategies. Therefore, in 2019, 1 year after glo was launched in Romania, IRES, one of Romania’s most reputed research institutes, was commissioned to ask adult Romanians that have been using THP (and glo specifically) for more than 6 months if they perceive any difference versus when they were smoking cigarettes. In 2021 and 2022, the study was repeated to see how the perceptions evolved over time. In 2023, we extended our focus from THP consumers and added in the study the vaping users.

The results are relevant: the consumers’ perception is similar to the scientific findings on reduced risk* products, i.e. that these products have a reduced-risk profile compared to smoking cigarettes.

BAT hopes that taken together, the science and the voice of the consumers, will help better inform smokers, regulators, and public health bodies on the potential for reduced risk* products to contribute to tobacco harm reduction strategies.

*Based on the weight of evidence and assuming a complete switch from cigarette smoking. These products are not risk free and are addictive.