Our supporting ESG priorities

Excellence in environmental management

We rely on natural resources to run our business. Securing them and minimising their use are critical to delivering our strategy. As a global business, we know we also have a responsibility to wider society. That’s why we are driving excellence in environmental management.  

•  By addressing climate risks and opportunities across our value chain, we can ensure the long-term sustainability of our business. By 2030, we aim to achieve a 50% reduction in our Scope 1, 2 & 3 emissions and to be Net Zero across our value chain by 2050 at the latest.
•  Access to safe water and sanitation is a fundamental human right. As water scarcity risks may increase with the changing climate, we must drive water efficiencies across the value chain. By 2025, we aim to reduce the total amount of water we withdraw by 35% for our own operations.
•  Our business now and in the future depends on biodiversity and natural resources. Sustainable agriculture practices help farming communities thrive and defend against deforestation and other environmental degradation.
•  Circularity is at the heart of how we manage resources. From minimising operational waste to innovative New Category product designs, we are addressing a growing global concern about plastic and other waste. By 2025, we aim for 100% of all our packaging to be reusable, recyclable or compostable. We aim to have 100% of wood used by our contracted farmers for tobacco curing to be from sustainable sources.
   

Read more about our commitment to excellence in environmental management.

Delivering a positive social impact

As a global business, we deliver a positive social impact, both for our employees and people across our supply chain. We are building A Better Tomorrow™ for all our stakeholders – from enhancing farmer livelihoods and promoting human rights to creating a diverse, inclusive culture.

Our social priorities

Human rights: Our business and supply chain touch several industries with important human rights impacts. We are committed to respect the human rights of our employees, the people we work with and the communities in which we operate. Our ambitions are for zero child labour and zero forced labour in our tobacco supply chain by 2025. All our product materials suppliers and high-risk indirect service suppliers will have undergone at least one independent labour audit within a three-year cycle by 2025.

Farmer Livelihoods: Rural poverty is recognised as a primary root cause for issues such as child and forced labour, as well as poor safety and environmental standards. Enhancing farmer livelihoods helps tackle such issues and strengthen our supply chain. We are committed to working to enable prosperous livelihoods for all farmers in our tobacco supply chain.

People, diversity and culture: Attracting and retaining an increasingly diverse workforce and providing a welcoming, inclusive working environment are key drivers in BAT’s transformation journey to build A Better Tomorrow™. By 2025, we aim to increase the proportion of women in management roles to 45%.

Health and safety: Health and safety risks can have serious impacts on our employees, contractors and contracted farmers. They can also interrupt Group operations if not effectively addressed. We are committed to providing a safe working environment for all our workers. Our ambition is for zero accidents Group-wide.

Read more about our commitment to delivering a positive social impact.

Robust corporate governance

Our actions impact our consumers and communities, from marketing responsibly to contributing to local economies through tax payments. We also have a responsibility to our shareholders to act as a reputable global business. We operate in an honest, transparent and accountable way, and maintain integrity in everything we do. Our robust principles and policies set out how we do this consistently, in every market we operate in.

Our governance priorities

Ethics and integrity: Unethical behaviour can damage our business, reputation and consumer trust. It can also distort markets, with developing countries especially vulnerable to the resulting economic, social and political impacts. We are guided by a robust, global set of principles and policies in everything we do, in all our markets. We aim for 100% adherence to our Standards of Business Conduct.

Responsible marketing and transparent communications: Responsible marketing practices are crucial for ensuring adult-only consumers use our tobacco and nicotine products and that they do not appeal to youth. We have strict marketing requirements, and support our employees, partners and customers in effectively applying them. We aim to have 100% adherence to our International Marketing Principles and our Youth Access Prevention Guidelines.

Sustainability governance: Having appropriate governance in place to deliver on our sustainability commitments is more important than ever before. In particular, this is why we believe effective oversight and management of sustainability-related risks and opportunities are essential to BAT’s ability to deliver A Better Tomorrow™ and achieve long-term sustainable growth.

Read more about our commitment to robust corporate governance.