Reducing harm

Combustible cigarettes pose serious health risks. The only way to avoid these risks is not to start or to quit. Yet not every smoker is willing to quit.

Tobacco Harm Reduction recognises the important role that alternative sources of nicotine with lower health risks offer to smokers who may not otherwise want or choose to give up. That is why we encourage those who would otherwise continue to smoke to switch completely to scientifically-substantiated, smokeless alternatives.

Smokeless products offer a compelling option for the estimated over one billion people who continue to smoke today.

We’re clear that shifting towards a smokeless portfolio, built on outstanding products, informed consumer choice, and underpinned by world-class science are essential for building a Smokeless World.

We aim to:

•  Increase consumers of Non-Combustible products to 50 million by 2030;
•  Grow New Category revenues to £5 billion by 2025;
•  Generate 50% of our revenue from Non-Combustible products by 2035
   

Watch our Research & Science Director Dr James Murphy talk about Tobacco Harm Reduction and why it matters:

Applying Best Practice Research Standards

There is broad agreement among policymakers and the public health community on the need for, and importance of, developing an appropriate science base to inform policies and educate consumers about smokeless products.

The science associated with Tobacco Harm Reduction plays an important role within the industry in terms of building consumer trust in reduced-risk products. The purpose of world-class science is to establish whether products are safer, or less risky*†, compared with cigarette smoking.

We follow strict best practice standards for all our scientific research. These include standards set by the OECD and the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) Group. We govern our clinical studies according to the ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki (2008), as defined by the International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use and CONSORT’s Good Clinical Practice Standard.

These principles require each study to be publicly registered, recommend that its protocol is published and that a data handling plan is agreed before data is acquired. As well as following this guidance, we register each study with the International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number registry before they begin. We also require all collaborators or partners to openly acknowledge BAT’s role – whether it is funding or expertise – when discussing the work they’ve done with or for us.