FAQ
Can Swedish snus be purchased directly from you?
Yes, you can order the entire Swedish Match snus range via the Company's e-commerce service, www.swedishmatch.se if you are a resident of Sweden, and via www.swedishmatch.ch if you are a resident of Switzerland.
How much nicotine does Swedish snus contain?
Nicotine content for each snus product is specified on the Company's e-commerce websites, www.swedishmatch.se and www.swedishmatch.ch.
When are dividends paid out?
Ordinary dividends have been paid annually since listing on the stock exchange. See the page Dividend information. Ordinary dividend is normally executed through Euroclear Sweden AB within one week after the Annual General Meeting.
Search FAQ
Smokeless products
On the global tobacco market, smokeless tobacco is a growing product category compared to cigarettes and is consumed in many parts of the world in different types and formats. Smokeless tobacco products primarily include Swedish snus, American moist snuff, various forms of chewing tobacco, as well as niche products such as dissolvables and nasal tobacco. In certain markets there are alternatives to traditional smokeless tobacco products, such as nicotine pouches without tobacco.
Yes, Swedish Match produces smokeless products without tobacco in both nicotine containing (such as ZYN) and non-nicotine varieties (such as Onico).
Snus and moist snuff
Smokeless tobacco products are found worldwide and there is considerable variation. Taste and aroma are primarily determined by the choice of tobacco, cultivation climate as well as drying and manufacturing methods, but also by essences and flavors.
Smokeless tobacco products can be divided into three categories:
1. Oral snuff – such as snus and moist snuff
2. Nasal snuff
3. Chewing tobacco
Oral snuff:
Consists of ground or grated tobacco, salt and water. The category can be divided into three sub-categories, modern Swedish snus, traditional American moist snuff and other oral snuff.
Modern Swedish snus – is world unique and manufactured in a completely closed, hygienic and highly technological process that was developed by Swedish Match. It consists of air-dried ground tobacco, water, salt, flavoring and taste additives and is pasteurized in a heat-treatment process, which produces very low levels of harmful substances. Since our Swedish snus is classed as food, it must be stored in a cold place. Swedish snus is placed under the upper lip.
Traditional American moist snuff – is made from grated or ground tobacco and is placed under the lower lip. The American moist snuff is fermented, which means that it matures at room temperature.
Other oral snuff - In various places in the world, there are local variations of moist oral snuff. They are frequently strong and mixed with different ingredients, which make them very different from the Swedish snus and American moist snuff.
Nasal snuff:
The nasal snuff that is primarily available is a dry, strongly aromatic ground tobacco powder that is inhaled into the nasal cavity and is used in certain parts of Europe.
Chewing tobacco:
Chewing tobacco can be divided up into American chewing tobacco, local chewing tobacco products sold in various markets and a modernized chewing tobacco product under the category name chew bags, mainly sold in Europe.
Traditional chewing tobacco comprises coarsely chopped or cut tobacco consumed as bulging wads in the cheek or as pressed and sometimes twisted strands, known as pigtails, plugs or twists, that are either put under the lip or in the cheek.
Chew bags consist of cut tobacco packaged in chewing portions. The product is consumed by chewing lightly to release flavor and nicotine and is placed under the lip when not being chewed.
For more information, please contact Swedish Match, Consumer contact in Sweden:
Telephone number:
Sweden: 0200-113 114 (toll free)
Norway: 800 800 89 (toll free)
From other countries: +46 8 658 01 00
Email: konsumentkontakt@swedishmatch.com
If you have a complaint and in order for us to analyze the snus and confirm the reason for the irregularity, we would like you to send the entire can with remaining content to us. Please enclose name, address, telephone number and reason for complaint and state whether you are over the age of 18 and we will reimburse you, https://www.swedishmatch.se/kundservice/reklamation/reklamera-portionssnus/.
Swedish Match
Consumer contact, Complaints
BOX 77
SE-401 21 Gothenburg
Sweden
In the US, our snus packaging contains a consumer contact phone number and mailing address.
Moist snuff is manufactured from aged dark air cured and dark fired tobacco blended to give the desired flavor, texture, and body to the product. This tobacco blend is cut to size, either fine cut or long cut, brined and then fermented. After the fermentation is complete the product has the final flavorings added and is packaged in loose form or in portion pouches for distribution and sales.
Moist snuff should be stored in a cool dry place. It should be stored away from heat sources to avoid discoloration of packaging. Avoid storage temperatures above 130 degrees Fahrenheit (55 degrees Celsius) as this will cause package and product degradation.
Swedish Match’s moist snuff products are sold throughout the US. Moist snuff may be purchased in certain other countries, but it is not legal to sell it in the EU due to the ban.
Our moist snuff packaging contains a consumer contact phone number and mailing address.
To register a complaint or express any comment regarding the product please refer to the following information:
Swedish Match US Division
Two James Center
1021 East Cary Street, Suite 1600
Richmond, VA 23219
United States
Phone: +1 804 787 5100
E-mail: info@smna.com
The information that you will need to provide are your name, address, phone number, description of the problem or comment, product name and code date. If product is available for return, you will be provided shipping material and instructions to return any unused product for further analysis. This will allow a thorough and rapid evaluation of your concern.
GOTHIATEK® is Swedish Match’s own quality standard for Swedish snus, which we created due to lack of international standards for smokeless tobacco products. The name is trademark protected.
The standard imposes stringent requirements on products and manufacturing aimed at ensuring a high and lasting quality. The standard also means that we have very low content of unwanted substances. Read more about GOTHIATEK®.
Swedish snus is manufactured from selected tobacco varieties, various salts, flavoring and moisture-preserving substances. In Sweden, snus is legally classified as food. Only food-approved ingredients are used in snus and the manufacturing occurs in premises that are hygienically suitable for food production.
Swedish snus includes mainly the following ingredients:
- Cooking salt – gives taste and has a preserving effect
- Sodium carbonate – a basic pH-regulating agent that transforms into bicarbonate in snus.
- Food-approved moisture-preserving substances such as glycerol and propylene glycol
- Flavoring – gives the various brands their specific character.
There are over one million Swedes who use snus regularly. Of these, about 80 percent are men and 20 percent are women. That’s about 26 percent of all adult males and 6 percent of adult women in Sweden are regular snus consumers.
Swedish Match has an “Adult only Tobacco and Nicotine” policy which firmly states that all tobacco products shall only be sold to adults of legal tobacco age in each market, and who are 18 years of age or over.
Moist snuff is a form of oral tobacco, primarily used in the US. It is commonly marketed in loose or pouch form. While Swedish snus is pasteurized and put under the upper lip, American moist snuff is a fermented product and is usually placed under the lower lip.
The most used tobacco in moist snuff products are air cured and dark fired tobaccos.
Swedish Match grinds tobacco meal into three different grain sizes - coarse, intermediate and fine. The finer the tobacco, the easier it is to form a pinch. The grain size also affects the taste and nicotine absorption. Large particles in the snus provide more taste and quicker nicotine absorption.
We add a variety of flavors and aromas to snus, like licorice, lemon oil, and rose oil. These are all approved food additives by the Swedish National Food Administration (like the USFDA) and follow the Swedish Match Ingredients Policy. However, the exact recipes are business secrets, of course.
Yes, you can order the entire Swedish Match snus range via the Company's e-commerce service, www.swedishmatch.se if you are a resident of Sweden, and via www.swedishmatch.ch if you are a resident of Switzerland.
Snus is perishable and must be stored in a refrigerator for best shelf life. When stored correctly, the shelf life for moist loose snus is 14 weeks, for moist portion-packed snus 20 weeks and for the dry assortments30 weeks. For longer storage, we would recommend freezing, which is excellent up to one year. Then, we recommend that the cans be vacuum-packed in airtight freezer bags. Snus in cardboard cans should be thawed in the refrigerator so that the condensation does not undo the glued seams in the cardboard can or the label on the outside of the can.
Moist snuff has been used in the US for a long time the first use of moist oral snuff is difficult to determine. A probable explanation is that the many Swedish immigrants brought the snus tradition with them to the US during the 19th century. American moist snuff has been produced and sold in the US since the early 19th century.
Moist snuff typically has salts added to flavor the product and to control the water activity. In addition, various flavorings are added to achieve the desired taste. All of the components used by Swedish Match are approved for use in food.
For more information about snus and health, please refer to the section on our website www.swedishmatch.com/Snus-and-health/.
We manufacture Swedish snus in Gothenburg and Kungälv, north of Gothenburg.
The material used for the portion pouches, according to GOTHIATEK®, is the same as used for paper teabags and is made up of cellulose fibers. The paper is approved for use with food by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). The binding agent used in our paper pouches is a business secret of our suppliers. However, we do know that this binding agent has no animalic additives.
Precisely how long it would take to extract all the nicotine from a pouch is impossible to say, however, studies have shown that between 20 to 40 percent disappears after a half-hour.
Manufacturers are not allowed to give any price recommendations for trading, which in turn means that it is the individual retailer who decides the consumer prices. This is also the explanation to possible price variations between different stores and chains.
Freezing snus is just fine up to about one year, preferably wrapped in airtight freezing bags to ensure the snus doesn’t dry out. If you have loose snus in paper cans, you should remember to thaw the cans in the refrigerator to avoid condensation forming on the can (this can dissolve the glued edges of the can or label). However, it is best to store snus in the refrigerator.
Swedish Match manufactures Swedish snus according to GOTHIATEK® our quality standard for Swedish snus. The standard imposes stringent requirements on products and manufacturing aimed at ensuring a high and lasting quality.
In order to achieve our high-quality demands, we use only quality tobacco, specially selected for its aroma and taste properties and chemical composition, in which we strive for as low levels of harmful substances as possible. We operate research cultivations in several countries aimed at cultivating the best possible tobacco raw material. Important characteristics such as processing capabilities, chemical structures and tastes, vary depending on seed types, cultivation locations and climate, the position of the leaves on the plant, cultivation processes and drying methods. The tobacco is analyzed more than five times during the manufacturing process to ensure our high-quality demand and chemical composition.
The manufacture of Swedish snus in accordance with GOTHIATEK® comprise three primary moments, grinding, preparation and packing.
- The dried tobacco leaves are ground into tobacco meal. The grinding grade or grain size varies depending on the snus brand. One tobacco recipe may contain as many as 30 different types of tobacco grades, which is the name for raw tobacco based on type, country of origin and the position of the leaves on the plant.
- During preparation, tobacco meal is mixed with salt and water. The salt is added for the flavor but also to extend the keeping qualities of the snus. After which, the snus mixture goes through a heat treatment, a pasteurization aimed at neutralizing microorganisms and give the snus a longer shelf life. This is traditionally known as sweating. The process is completely sealed and the quality control is rigorous.
The mixture is then cooled and other ingredients such as flavoring are added.
Finally the snus is packed into cans after the portion-packed snus is filled into portion pouches and the adequate moisture grade is assured.
Nicotine content for each snus product is specified on the Company's e-commerce websites, www.swedishmatch.se and www.swedishmatch.ch.
The nicotine from snus is transferred to the blood via the oral mucous membrane, which occurs slower compared with cigarette smoking, where the nicotine is absorbed in the lungs. The difference in nicotine absorption is due to the snus being basic and cigarette smoke is acidic.
Whenever the snus has dried out, it has been stored against our recommendations. And, the taste and aromas characteristics have changed irrevocably, so you can’t re-moisturize the product. It’s always best to store it properly in the refrigerator from the start so prevent the snus getting dry.
At the beginning, snus was placed in paper packets or in oval cans. When the cans were developed in the middle of the 1960s, the current can was created, and it was purely a design matter. Snus and Match Museum (Snus- och Tändsticksmuseum) at Skansen in Stockholm has previously oval cardboard boxes. For more information please contact The Snus and Match Museum at +46-8-4428026.
The average snus user consumes approximately 4.1 cans per week, but there are large individual variations.
Swedish Match manufactures its Swedish snus in accordance with GOTHIATEK® standard for the US out of its factories in Sweden. Information about General snus in the US can be found at generalsnus.com.
Most often old snus just dries out and loses much of its aroma and flavor. There is a very small risk that it will start to mold. Snus is not normally unhealthy when it gets too old but still, just like any food, if it smells bad, don’t use it.
We always label the snus cans with a ‘Best before’ date. When you keep it refrigerated, snus will usually stay fresh much longer than that date.
The cardboard cans are the original, traditional snus packing. Today, it is manufactured of recycled paper and used for loose snus. Since portion-packed snus is more sensitive to drying out than loose snus, it requires a tighter can. Therefore portion-packed snus is packed in a plastic can.
Swedish snus in accordance with GOTHIATEK® is available in Sweden, Norway, the US, among other markets.
All plastic cans and plastic lids for both Swedish snus and American moist snuff are made from polypropylene. Rolls of cans are mostly shrink-wrapped in polyethylene. At complete combustion, only carbon dioxide and water remain from these plastics. All coloring agents in the plastic are approved for food packaging. The plastic cans and plastic lids are therefore recyclable, #5.
Due to the EU snus trade ban, which was introduced in 1993, Swedish snus is not allowed to be sold in the EU, with the exception of Sweden. In Sweden’s negotiations regarding membership, a permanent exemption was granted from the ban. A corresponding exemption was granted in Norway in the EES agreement.
Since there are no research results that prove a connection between snus and cancer, the EU decided to remove the demand for the cancer warning on Swedish snus in 2001.
Norway is not a member of the EU and is therefore not included in the EU’s snus ban. An exemption was granted in Norway in the EES agreement.
Yes, the products are manufactured in the Swedish plants just like all snus in our portfolio, according to the same recipes. There are varieties and brands produced in Sweden made especially for the Norwegian market, catering to local preferences.
In some countries snus is not allowed to be imported. Normally, bringing snus for private consumption is not a problem. For security reasons, you should inquire at the country’s embassy.
Swedish snus is world unique and has its origins from the end of the 18th Century. Unlike nasal snuff, which is inhaled through the nasal cavity, oral snuff is moist to facilitate using in the oral cavity. Our snus is made from ground tobacco and used under the upper lip, compared with American moist snuff, which is also available in grated form and placed under the lower lip. It contains selected air-dried tobacco variations, water, salt, softening agent, conservatives and flavoring.
The uniqueness of Swedish snus, manufactured by Swedish Match, is that we have very high-quality demands. We have ensured this by following our GOTHIATEK® quality standard. The distinguishing qualities are:
- Choice of raw materials: To ensure compliance of very high demands on raw materials, a number of chemical analyses are performed during the manufacturing process. This guarantees that harmful substances are discovered in time.
- Manufacturing: The largest fundamental difference between Swedish snus and other snuff is the preparation process itself. Swedish Match’s snus is manufactured through a proprietary developed heat-treatment process – a pasteurizing method that eliminates most of the bacteria that are naturally found in dried tobacco. The preparation occurs with full control of process conditions and process hygiene aimed at providing the snus with a longer shelf life. On the other hand, traditional American moist snuff is fermented.
- Legislation: In Sweden, snus manufacture and its usage fall under the Food Act. Snus is therefore subject to the same control as food. The National Institute of Public Health is the supervising authority for warning texts on tobacco products and manages the ingredients reports that all tobacco manufacturers must submit annually, in accordance with applicable EU directives. Marketing and sales issues fall under the Swedish Consumer Agency.
- Cold storage. We recommend cold storage for snus for best shelf life.
- All snus operations within Swedish Match in Scandinavia are quality and environmentally assured in accordance with ISO 9001:2000 and 14001:2004.
The main difference is that Swedish snus is pasteurized and produced in accordance with GOTHIATEK®, and American moist snuff is a fermented product. Swedish snus and American moist snuff also differs in choice of tobacco and ingredients. Only air cured tobacco is used in Swedish snus.
Smokeless products without tobacco
Onico is a plant-fiber-based product in portion pouches, flavored with food-approved additives having flavors resembling tobacco and peppermint. However, Onico does not contain tobacco or nicotine and is classified as a foodstuff with the designation “plant-fiber-based product in portion pouches”. Plant fibers undergo a heat process – a pasteurization process that meets the Swedish requirements for food production. Aromas and other additives are then blended in and the product is packed in portion pouches. Onico is marketed in Sweden and also sold in Norway. Onico is a great alternative for those who want to quit using snus or other nicotine products but still want to have the feeling of having a pouch under their lip.
Onico is produced at Swedish Match’s snus plant in Kungälv, Sweden.
Onico is classified as a foodstuff with the designation “plant-fiber-based product in portion pouches”. Onico contains plant fibers, salts, licorice, moisture-conserving agents, acidity and aromatic additives. All additives are food approved. The additives simulate tobacco and other flavors often found in snus.
The reason for adding smoke aroma to Onico is that it imparts a mellow aroma and flavor reminiscent of tobacco. This is precisely the flavor preferred by many consumers in our surveys.
The material in the portion pouches is similar to that used in tea bags and essentially consists of cellulose fibers. The fibers are held together by a binding agent.
The product is used in exactly the same way as Swedish snus – a portion pouch is placed under the upper lip.
Since Onico contains no nicotine, it does not give the effects provided by nicotine, but the aromas produce a taste experience and a tingling sensation beneath the lip similar to the effect of snus. The tingling sensation derives from the aroma agents in the product, which act in the same way as spices in food.
We recommend cold storage for best shelf life. Onico is a moist, perishable product. If Onico is stored for a long period at room temperature, the flavor and aroma fade and the product dries out. Onico has a shelf life of 20 weeks in a cooler.
Since Onico is not a tobacco product and contains neither nicotine nor tobacco, the product is not subject to tobacco age restrictions. However, we recommend a minimum age of 18, since Onico is used in a similar way to snus. But this decision rests with the retailer. In Swedish Match's own stores, the minimum age for the purchase of Onico is 18 years of age.
For more information, contact Swedish Match, Consumer Contact: +46 200-113 114, konsumentkontakt@swedishmatch.se, or visit https://www.swedishmatch.ch/en.
ZYN is Swedish Match’s brand for nicotine pouches without tobacco. The largest market is the US where ZYN has the leading position. In the US, ZYN is sold in a discrete dry format and is available in two different nicotine strengths, 3 mg and 6 mg, and in a variety of flavors.
Swedish Match produces ZYN in the US, and both ZYN and other brands of nicotine pouches in Sweden and Denmark.
ZYN contains nicotine, fillers, pH adjusters, stabilizer, sweetener and flavors. All ingredients, apart from nicotine, are widely used in food products.
ZYN does not need to be refrigerated.
Minimum age restrictions vary from country to country, but Swedish Match firmly believes that all products that contain nicotine should only be used by adults of legal age, and has an “Under 18 no nicotine” policy, which would include both ZYN nicotine pouches, and other nicotine containing products, like snus. In some jurisdictions the legal minimum age is higher and Swedish Match works within the regulatory frameworks to be responsible in its distribution and marketing practices.
In the US, our packaging contains a consumer contact phone number and mailing address. More information can be found on ZYN.com.
In Sweden, contact Swedish Match, Consumer Contact: +46 200-113 114, konsumentkontakt@swedishmatch.se.
Chewing tobacco
Swedish Match is the largest manufacturer of American chewing tobacco and the Company’s largest brand in the US is Red Man.
In certain European markets, Swedish Match sells chew bags which is a modern type of chewing tobacco and the main brand is Thunder.
American chewing tobacco products should be stored in cool dry place. It should be stored away from heat sources to avoid discoloration of packaging. Avoid storage temperatures above130 degrees Fahrenheit (55 degrees Celsius) as this will cause package and product degradation.
Our packaging contains a consumer contact phone number and mailing address. To register a complaint or express any comment regarding the product please refer to the following information:
Swedish Match US Division
Two James Center
1021 East Cary Street, Suite 1600
Richmond, VA 23219
United States
Phone: +1 804 787 5100
E-mail: info@smna.com
The information that you will need to provide are your name, address, phone number, description of the problem or comment, product name and code date. If product is available for return to Swedish Match, you will be provided shipping material and instructions to return any unused product for further analysis. This will allow a thorough and rapid evaluation of your concern.
Loose leaf and plug are forms of oral tobacco common in the US.
The first chewing tobacco in America was plug tobacco, or pressed leaf tobacco. Plug tobacco got its name from the way it was made. The tobacco was soaked in wild honey and then “plugged” into green hickory or maple logs to age. The plugging compressed the tobacco into a convenient form, while allowing the flavors to penetrate.
Loose leaf chewing tobacco is coarsely chopped or cut tobacco that is chewed.
Swedish Match’s chewing tobaccos are made from quality cigar leaf grown principally in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. American chewing tobacco can be divided into two general categories: loose leaf and plug tobacco.
Loose leaf tobacco is typically produced from dark air tobacco which has been stemmed, is cased (or coated) with sweet flavorings composed of food approved ingredients. The product is dried to the specified moisture and packaged in foil packaging.
Plug tobacco is prepared in much the same manner as loose leaf but is compressed and cut into the plug form and is wrapped with a tobacco based outer wrapper and placed in a cellophane or foil over wrap.
The most used tobacco in chewing tobacco products are dark air tobaccos.
American chewing tobacco products are sold mainly in the US with some brands also being sold in Canada. There are some global sales of American chewing tobacco products, principally in parts of the EU.
Different forms of chewing tobacco are also used in African countries, India and East Asia. They include gutkha, zarda, chemma and tobacco mixed with betel.
In certain markets, primarily in Europe, a modern type of chewing tobacco, chew bags, is sold.
Swedish Match mainly sells American chewing tobacco in the US and has sales of chew bags in certain European markets.
Chewing tobacco is a custom that was introduced to European settlers by Native Americans in the early 1500s. When Europeans first reached the Americas, they found the inhabitants consuming tobacco as a chewing product, nasal snuff, and smoking it in various fashions.
Swedish Match’s American chewing tobacco is manufactured in Owensboro, Kentucky, the US.
Chew bags are produced in Silkeborg, Denmark.
Chewing tobacco casing includes sugars, molasses, licorice, natural and artificial flavors.
The product is placed in the mouth between the cheek and gum and is held there while the nicotine is extracted and taken up by the tissues inside the mouth. Occasionally, the product is moved to renew the flavor and refresh the surface for nicotine extraction.
Cigars
In general, a cigar is usually classified as short filler (finely divided) or long filler (whole leaf). The technology used depends on the manufacture method where long fillers are best suited for handmade cigars, while short fillers are mostly used in machine manufactured cigars. Methods of manufacture do not always agree since there are combinations and exceptions.
Our packaging contains a consumer contact phone number and mailing address.
To register a complaint or express any comment regarding the product please refer to the following information:
Swedish Match US Division
Two James Center
1021 East Cary Street, Suite 1600
Richmond, VA 23219
United States
Phone: +1 804 787 5100
E-mail: info@smna.com
The information that you will need to provide are your name, address, phone number, description of the problem or comment, product name and code date. If product is available for return, you will be provided shipping material and instructions to return any unused product for further analysis. This will allow a thorough and rapid evaluation of your concern.
Cigars should be stored in a humidor, a box or a cabinet that keeps the temperature and humidity at a constant level. This is extra important in the north, since during winter, it is extremely dry indoors.
The ideal temperature for cigars is between 16-20 degrees and humidity should be between 64-68 percent for short fillers and 70-72 percent for long fillers. Humidity is controlled using a hygrometer which should be calibrated regularly (but the best source is a sensitive human hand). If the cigars are stored too dry, they dehydrate and split. If they are stored too humid and warm, they get moldy.
If a humidor is not available, there are other methods. Storing in a freezer or a humid air ventilated plastic trough are acceptable methods; probably not as charming as a humidor, but preferable to allowing the cigars to be destroyed by dehydration. However, the issue of freezing cigars is constantly being debated and it should be pointed out that what is gained through simple and relatively risk free storage is lost in maturity. All fine cigars namely improve through adequate storage, like fine wine. If one chooses to freeze cigars, they should be thawed slowly by being placed in a refrigerator to prevent the wrappers from splitting in the event of rapid temperature changes. But, it is then important that the cigars are properly covered in plastic to prevent them from absorbing foreign odors from foodstuffs.
According to tobacco regulations, nicotine and tar contents must be stated on cigarette packets. But since there is no satisfactory measuring method for analyzing the values of nicotine and tar in cigar smoke, there is no corresponding demand on cigars and cigarillos. The reason that no standard measuring method has been found is that the products are available in many various forms and sizes and neither government officials nor the industry has been able to produce a model that works for all product versions. However, values stated on cigarette packets do not measure the actual content in the cigarettes themselves but the values produced during smoking, which is measured in a standard smoke machine.
Basic smoke comes from the choice of tobacco type, slow air drying of leaves and fermentation of the tobacco. Nicotine is absorbed into the body from basic smoke through the mucous membrane in the oral cavity, which is the reason why cigar smoke is not inhaled but calm puffs are taken instead.
Fermentation is a bio-chemical process that breaks down and matures the tobacco, which gives cigar tobacco its specific character. The tobacco darkens somewhat and a great deal of the nicotine in the tobacco disappears.
Fermentation is performed by allowing the tobacco to rest in large bales for several weeks. When the temperature reaches the desired level, the bales are restacked so that each tobacco leaf ends up in a new place. The outer ones are placed inside and the upper ones are placed lowest, etc. This is repeated several times during the process. Factors that affect fermentation are heat, humidity and pressure.
Fermentation, combined with choice of tobacco and slow air drying, contribute to cigar smoke being basic. Cigar smokers, who desire the good taste, take slow puffs, since the nicotine from basic smoke is absorbed directly into the mucous membranes of the oral cavity and should therefore not be inhaled as acid cigarette smoke.
Compared with cigarettes, smoke from cigars and cigarillos are not inhaled. The reason is that the smoke is basic in character, which means that the nicotine is slowly absorbed through the mucous membrane in the oral cavity. However, cigarette smoke is acid, meaning low pH, which makes it necessary to inhale to absorb the nicotine.
There is no scientific measurement available on this, but an estimate done in the 1990s showed that an average of 10 percent compared with acid cigarette smoke. However, this is on condition that the cigar is smoked in the correct manner, meaning puffed and not inhaled. The basic character also contributes to the slow absorption of nicotine. Cigars are not smoked for the nicotine but for the taste.
A cigar comprises three parts: filler, binder and wrapper. The filler consists of one or several different types of tobacco, which are carefully chosen based on taste, aroma, burning properties and quality. The filler can consist of either a few whole tobacco leaves - long filler, or a base of tobacco chopped into pieces - short filler. The technology used depends mainly on the manufacture method, where long fillers are best suited for handmade cigars, while short fillers are often used in machine manufactured cigars. Methods of manufacture do not always agree since there are combinations and exceptions.
The terms long filler and short filler should not be interpreted as quality conclusive. The quality is determined by the type of tobacco used and the craftsmanship used in manufacturing the cigars. Short fillers are especially popular in Europe since the combination of various types of tobacco creates a balanced aroma and the manufacturing process produces light and smooth draws. Even though long fillers are used for handmade cigars, the technology naturally limits the possibility of complicated mixtures.
Short fillers and long fillers also differ with regard to moisture sensitivity. Long fillers dehydrate easily and have a very short shelf life if not stored in the correct atmospheric humidity. This also applies to short fillers. However, many cigars on the Swedish market are “dry short fillers,” which means that they are less sensitive to moisture and taste excellent even though they were stored outside a humidor for a while.
In Sweden, it is really a matter of size and weight, based on old tax classes. The weight limit between a cigar and cigarillo is often 3 grams. Internationally, this distinction does not apply.
Swedish Match manufactures mass market cigars for the US market (both natural leaf and HTL varieties). Production takes place in Dothan, Alabama, the US and in Santiago, the Dominican Republic.
A cigar comprises three parts: filler, binder and wrapper. The filler consists of one or several different types of tobacco, which are carefully chosen based on taste, aroma, burning properties and quality. The filler can consist of either a few whole tobacco leaves - long filler, or a base of tobacco chopped into pieces - short filler.
A cigar comprises three parts: filler, binder and wrapper. The binder encloses the filler and holds the cigar together. Vickel is the name used for the combination of binder and filler. The binder is not visible and is not chosen for its appearance but for its strength and burning properties where excellent binding creates a slow and even burn.
A cigar comprises three parts: filler, binder and wrapper. The wrapper is the outer tobacco leaf, which is seen on the cigar and is chosen for its appearance. It should be attractive, without spots or blemishes and uniform color. Other demands are that it should be thin, smooth and without large veins and be supple and durable.
In order to produce perfect wrappers for handmade cigars, the tobacco is often shade-grown. This protects the tobacco from strong sunlight, which in turn produces light, thin and elastic leaves with small veins.
Natural leaf cigars are cigars which have binders and wrappers made of parts of selected tobacco leaves cut specifically to form the binders and/or wrappers. The main distinctions between natural leaf cigars and hand rolled cigars are that they contain short filler tobacco versus long filler tobacco and that machines are utilized in the later steps of the manufacturing process. A rolled leaf cigar is a "rough cut" natural leaf cigar and is easy to light.
Certain short fillers, often cigarillos, have binders and/or wrappers made from homogenized tobacco leaves. HTL is tobacco that is finely ground to a powder, mixed with water and rolled into tobacco sheets. This is done in order to maintain an even quality in mass produced products.
Matches
Solstickan is one of Sweden’s most famous brands and many products are classics. Today, the Solstickan is more than just matches. In addition to matches, Solstickan is also available as firelighters and fire briquettes.
Matches should be stored in a dry and cool place.
Firelighters are available in most supermarkets. If your store does not have the product in its assortment, you should ask them to order it for you.
The best quality matches are manufactured from aspen. The timber must be strong, hard, white and odorless, have straight grains, easy to process and sufficiently porous to be able to absorb paraffin wax. Aspen has the best combination of all these properties for the manufacture of matches.
The most important properties of safety matches are that they strike easily, do not split or drop burning debris, do not break, do not continue to glow after the flame is extinguished, do not contain toxic heavy metals.
Matches do not self-ignite during normal handling. Matches should be stored in dry areas and separate from ignition sources and hazardous material. The matches would not ignite when they are heated, unless the temperature exceeds 180ºC.
Please send in the matches, outer and inner boxes with remaining matches for analysis to:
Swedish Match Industries AB,
Attn: Quality Department,
Box 84,
SE-522 22 Tidaholm
The matches are treated with mono-ammonium phosphate and dipped in paraffin.
In Sweden, matches are manufactured solely from aspen. The wood arrives at the factory as unbarked logs, 3.1 meters long.
The logs are debarked and cut into blocks of about 60 cm long and turned into veneers the size of matches. The veneers are cut into splints, meaning matches without match heads, which are chemically treated so that there is no afterglow when they are extinguished. Following treatment, the splints are dried and polished – in a continuous process.
The splints are then loaded in a magazine that presses them into an endless, moving mat. When the mat rotates, the splints are dipped into paraffin and coated and become matches. The matches are finally packed in boxes.
Swedish Match,
Consumer contact; +46 (0)200-113 114, konsumentkontakt@swedishmatch.se.
Aspen are mainly found in southern and central Blekinge and Gästrikland in Sweden.
A safety match will only ignite when struck against a specially treated, chemically active friction surface on the side of the box. Compared with the earlier phosphorous matches, safety matches are non-poisonous, hence the name.
Before safety matches were invented (by G.E. Pasch in 1844), matches were manufactured using highly poisonous yellow phosphorous.
Naturally, it would depend on the size of the tree. A Swedish aspen would produce approximately 1 million sticks.
Trees are only felled from well-managed forests in Sweden and plantations in Brazil.
A modern match machine produces approximately 2.5 million matches per hour. The first continuous match machine was invented in 1892 by C. Lagerman. It produced 200,000 matches per hour.
For every product sold under the Solstickan brand, a portion of sales goes to The Solstickan Foundation.
The Solstickan Foundation was established in Sweden in 1936. The artist Einar Nerman was commissioned to design the cover of the matchbox and created the now famous Solstickan boy. It is said that he received SEK 200 for the illustration, which later became probably the world’s most reproduced artwork.
The idea behind the Solstickan was that SEK 0.05 (one half öre) per box would be used “to benefit the elderly and children.” Since matches were sold by the million, the millions of half ores became a great deal of money. The success of the Solstickan was mostly due to the strong support from retail sales and the media.
The foundation primarily works to promote the interests of children and the elderly by granting project funds and scholarships as well as giving out an annual Solstickan Award.
Honorary Chairman of the foundation is Princess Christina, Mrs. Magnuson.
More information is found at www.solstickan.se.
Every day, approximately five million boxes of matches are produced by Swedish Match, which correspond to about 250 million matches. If the boxes were stacked, one minute’s production would form a pillar higher than the Eiffel Tower in Paris. If the boxes were lined up on the E4 highway, one day’s production would stretch from Jönköping to Stockholm. The total length of the sticks would reach Australia.
The Solstickan Foundation only supports projects in Sweden. For more information on how to apply, please visit the foundations website: www.solstickan.se (in Swedish only).
One of the most famous labels is “Three Stars,” which was designed in 1887. It is referred to as the “Mona-Lisa of labels” and has been marketed over the entire British Empire. It is probably the world’s most widespread matchbox label. In Sweden, the most famous one is obviously Solstickan.
Lighters
Cricket is one of the world’s safest lighters. It is manufactured in self-extinguishing nylon, which cannot burn when the ignition source is removed. With Cricket, the “fixed flame technology” was invented to provide the best safety for consumers; a proprietary patented system where the flame is fixed and creates a uniform and reliable flame during the entire lifetime of the product. Innovative, advanced technology and quality ensure that Cricket’s child-resistant lighters comply with very high demands. All Cricket pocket lighters are manufactured according to the quality standard, ISO 9994:2006 and undergo more than 60 tests prior to being released on the market.
Cricket lighters are manufactured in three different plants: Assen (the Netherlands), Manila (the Philippines) and Manaus (Brazil).
All Cricket lighters are manufactured in accordance with quality assurance system ISO,14001 which strives for as little effect on the environment as possible.
Lighters should be stored in a dry place, not warmer than 50ºC.
For more information, please contact Swedish Match,
Consumer contact; +46 (0)200-113 114, konsumentkontakt@swedishmatch.se
International: info@cricketlighters.com
Swedish Match is the third largest manufacturer of lighters worldwide and markets one of the world’s most popular brands of disposable lighters, Cricket. The brand Cricket features 6 top models; Original, Mini, Maxi, Electronic, Pocket and Pico.
The lighters are sold globally and the largest markets are Eastern Europe and Asia.
Cricket lighters are known worldwide for their quality, safety and design. They were introduced in 1961 and every year 350 million are sold in more than 140 countries. This makes Cricket the world’s third largest brand for disposable lighters.
Cricket lighters are manufactured in accordance with the strictest European quality and safety regulations. Cricket is also world-leading with regard to “fixed flame technology,” a proprietary patented system, which means that the lighter flame is fixed in order to provide the best safety for consumers. For additional safety, Cricket has child-resistant lighters with a special mechanism that makes it difficult for children to operate. More information is available at: www.cricketlighters.com.
No, the flame cannot be adjusted. Quality and safety has always been an important aspect with Cricket products, which is world-leading with regard to “fixed flame technology”, a proprietary patented system, which means that the lighter flame is fixed in order to provide best safety for consumers. In this manner, the user avoids unpleasant surprises in the form of too large flames.
Cricket lighters are sold in more than 140 countries worldwide. In Sweden, they are sold in the tobacco shops, supermarkets, convenience stores and gas stations. There is information on sales outlets in different countries on the website www.cricketlighters.com, under the contact heading.
Cricket offers trendy designs that are changed regularly by well-known French designers. Every year, we conduct a survey of international trends within interior design, fashion, accessories and cosmetics. On our website www.cricketlighters.com you can find a gallery with the entire assortment of Cricket lighters.
One standard size flint wheel Cricket lighter can ignite approximately 1,600 times.
Each year, more than 350 million Cricket lighters are sold worldwide.
In addition to the pocket lighters, Cricket also offers utility lighters, Cricket Firepower, Fireflex and Multi-lite which are perfect for lighting candles, fireplaces and barbeque grills.
Cricket was the first in the world to introduce child-resistant lighters in 1993. It was introduced in the US and shortly thereafter a law was passed stipulating that only child-resistant disposable lighters were permitted in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. On March 11, 2007 the law was also introduced in the EU.
A child-resistant lighter makes it more difficult for children to operate, but the safety mechanism should never replace a parent’s supervision of the child’s handling of a lighter. The safety lighter should also be stored out of the reach of children.
Only Cricket utility lighters are refillable, not the pocket lighters.
Due to accident risks, gas lighters should not be sent by ordinary mail.
Cricket has the longest history of all disposable lighters. The first one was manufactured in 1961 in France.
About the company
Lars Dahlgren is the President and CEO of Swedish Match.
Swedish Match springs out of two historical Swedish companies. In 1915, The state-owned Svenska Tobaksmonopolet (the Swedish Tobacco Monopoly) was founded and in 1917, Svenska Tändsticks AB was founded, with Ivar Kreuger as President.
Swedish Match was listed on the Nasdaq Stockholm on May 15, 1996.
At the Volvo 1996 Annual General Meeting (Volvo was the current owner), the decision was taken to float Swedish Match on the stock market and to distribute the company's shares to its own shareholders, in effect splitting Volvo's shares into a Volvo share and a Swedish Match share.
Swedish Match is selling products in more than 100 countries world-wide.
Swedish Match’s organization consists of three divisions and the Corporate functions. For more information see the page Organization.
Investor relations
The purpose of Investor Relations is to keep the capital markets continuously informed about Swedish Match's position, operations and development. With the help of IR services on the Internet you could collect the most recent press releases, reports and company presentations. These are used by share analysts at brokerage firms, fund managers, private shareholders, employees, media and other interested parties.
You are welcome to contact the IR department if you have any questions.
Use the contact function here on the website.
Swedish Match shares have been listed at the Nasdaq Stockholm since 1996 under the abbreviated name SWMA. In the Nasdaq Stockholm list, which was introduced on October 2, 2006, Swedish Match is classified as a Large-Cap Company (market value of more than EUR 1 billion). The company is classified as Stockholm listed and belongs to sector 30, Consumer Goods. More information on the share is found on the website: The share.
Name: Swedish Match
ID: SWMA
ISIN Code: SE0015812219
List: Large-Cap
Sector: Consumer Goods
Swedish Match´s fiscal year follows the calendar year and begins on January 1 and ends on December 31.
You can read about future financial events on the website: Calendar. All interim reports from and including 1997 and forward are available on the page Interim reports. Annual reports from and including 1996 and forward are available on the page Annual reports.
Annual Reports from and including 1996 and interim reports from and including 1997 are available on the website. See the pages Annual reports and Interim reports.
Through our subscription service you can subscribe to our financial reports and press releases via e-mail.
On the website:
Every quarter, Swedish Match publishes a company presentation with the quarterly figures on the website. The presentations are in the form of PDF files and are often used by analysts and institutional investors. See Presentations.
Other sources:
Further information on Swedish Match is available on a number of financial websites such as Yahoo and Standard & Poor´s guides.
In most cases, the bank or the stockbroker will be able to assist you with changes (of name, address, etc.). If you are a direct-registered owner, you can also submit changes to Euroclear Sweden AB directly at:
Euroclear Sweden AB
Box 191
SE-101 23
Stockholm, Sweden
The acquisition value of one Swedish Match share is 12% of the acquisition value of the former Volvo share. For example, if you paid SEK 100 for one Volvo share, the acquisition value for the Swedish Match share is SEK 12 and the remaining SEK 88 is the acquisition value for the former Volvo share. For specific income tax questions, please contact your tax advisor.
Information pertaining to ownership structure is available on the website. See Share holdings.
The 10 largest shareholders are listed on the website. See Largest shareholders.
Swedish Match has no direct sale of shares or reinvestment program for dividends.
With shareholders´ approval, a company may repurchase a certain portion of its own shares in the stock market. The shares may be held in the form of Treasury Stock (the company´s holdings of own shares) for cancellation or use at a later date. Repurchase of shares could have a positive influence on the key ratio "Earnings per share," since the company´s profits are divided by a lower number of shares outstanding. According to the Board of Swedish Match, a more efficient balance sheet is achieved, and it is possible to transfer the value to shareholders, by using a portion of the distributable earnings for repurchase (in addition to dividend).
Share prices depend on supply and demand. When there are more shares for sale at a certain price than are demanded, share prices are lower, and vice versa. The level of purchasing and selling rates are determined by, for example, the company´s financial results, the public opinion of the sector or the company´s competitors, the general economic situation, profitability in other markets, currency rates, expectations on future profits, in and outflow of mutual funds. But there are also other factors that affect share prices.
Excel documents with financial information may be downloaded from the website, under Financial tables. See Financial tables.
The telephone numbers for the analysts that track Swedish Match are available on the website. See Analysts and estimates.
Current credit rating for Swedish Match is listed on the page Credit ratings.
Ticker code on Nasdaq Stockholm: SWMA
Code at Bloomberg: SWMA
Code at Reuters: SWMA.ST
ISIN code: SE0015812219
Corporate registration number: 556015-0756
Index listings
Swedish Match is included in many Swedish indexes that differ in terms of construction. The indexes are mostly calculated in SEK. Below are some examples of indexes that Swedish Match is included in.
OMXS and OMXS (former SAX-index): OMX Stockholm All Share with and without dividends imposed includes all shares that are listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. Subdivided into sector indexes SX3000 (Consumer Goods), SX3700 (Personal & Household Goods), SX3780 (Tobacco).
OMXSLC: OMX Stockholm Large Cap with and without dividends reinvested.
OMXSB (former SBX): OMX Stockholm Benchmark Index a portfolio index that covers major companies in each sector group. The index is available with and without dividends reinvested.
OMXS30 (former OMX): OMX Stockholm 30 is the Stockholm Stock Exchange's leading share index. The index consists of the 30 most actively traded stocks on the Stockholm Stock Exchange.
Affärsvärldens General index (OMXAFGX): Includes all listed companies on the Nasdaq Stockholm.
OMX GES Sustainability Sweden: The index constituents are leading companies in terms of sustainability and are selected based on how well they meet the criteria for environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. The index is available with and without dividends reinvested.
Swedish Match is included in a number of indexes at European and global levels. These indexes are normally translated to a common currency, often EUR or USD. When comparing share prices for Swedish Match or other companies, a currency translation must be done.
BWORLD: Bloomberg World Index and BE500 Bloomberg Europe 500 and sub-index for tobacco, etc.
STOXX Europe 600: This index consists of 600 large, mid, and small cap European companies. Swedish Match is also included in the sub-index STOXX Europe Mid 200 and the sector index STOXX Europe 600 Personal and Household Goods.
S&P Global 1200: This Standard & Poor index provides efficient exposure to the global equity market. It is a composite of seven headline regional indexes. Swedish Match is included in the regional sub-index S&P Europe 350.
FTSE All-World: The FTSE global index with regional European, Nordic and Swedish sub-indexes.
Swedish Match is included in many Nordic indexes that differ in terms of the number of companies and countries covered. The indexes are calculated in various currencies. Nordic indexes are also calculated as sub-indexes in global index families.
OMX GES Sustainability Nordic: The index constituents are leading companies in terms of sustainability and are selected based on how well they meet the criteria for environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues.
OMX Nordic: The index is calculated for all shares listed on Nasdaq Stockholm, Helsinki and Copenhagen. Calculated in DKK, EUR, ISK and SEK, both with and without dividends reinvested. Subdivided into sector index for N3000 (Consumer Goods), N3700 (Personal & Household Goods), which is only calculated in EUR.
OMX Nordic 40: The index consists of the 40 largest and most actively traded stocks on the Nordic exchanges.
Human resources
Students can send us thesis work proposals. Depending on the need for research in the thesis work/thesis proposal area, and if time and other resources are available, we may move forward with the proposal. For more information, see the page Student.
When applying for a particular position we would like you to write a cover letter and attach your CV/resume. It is important that your CV is accurate, lack of information could result in not being considered for an interview. For more information, see the page Vacant positions.
For contact information, see the page HR contacts.
Corporate Governance
For latest information available about the Annual General Meeting, see the page Annual General Meeting.
A shareholder may attend and vote at the meeting in person or by proxy. Any shareholder wishing to attend a general meeting must notify Swedish Match at the latest by the day specified in the notice of the General Meeting. If you are a registered shareholder and would like to attend the Annual General Meeting you can (in case you are a physical person) give notice electronically within the time frame as set out in the notice. Additional information about the General Meeting is to be found at the page Annual General Meeting.
Ordinary dividends have been paid annually since listing on the stock exchange. See the page Dividend information. Ordinary dividend is normally executed through Euroclear Sweden AB within one week after the Annual General Meeting.
Swedish Match dividend policy stipulates that the dividend will be in the range of 40 to 60 percent of the earnings per share for the year, subject to adjustments for larger one-time items.
Swedish Match has paid dividends each year since the company was listed in 1996. See Dividend information.
This is the first day a share may be traded without the right to the approved dividend. Shareholding must be registered in the shareholders´ register or Euroclear Sweden AB share register on the record date to be entitled to dividends. If you purchase shares on or after the first day without entitlement to dividend, you have no right to receive the latest approved dividend. However, if you sell your shares on or after the Ex-dividend day, you will be entitled to the latest approved dividend from the company on the date of payment for the dividends.
The record date for dividend is the date by which a shareholder must be registered in the shareholders´ register or in Euroclear Sweden AB share register to be entitled to dividends. Normally, it takes two work days from when a stock transaction is conducted on the stock exchange to being listed in the register.
Management and control of the Swedish Match Group is divided between shareholders at the Annual General Meeting, the Board of Directors and the President in accordance with Swedish Companies Act and Articles of Associations. Auditors review Management’s and the Board’s activities on assignment from shareholders. Swedish Match also abides by the guidelines of the Swedish Code of Corporate Governance. Swedish Match is also committed to comply with Nasdaq Stockholm rules for issuers. For more information, visit the page Corporate Governance.
Swedish Match produces on an annual basis a Corporate Governance report according to the Swedish Annual Accounts Act, the Companies Act and the Code of Corporate Governance. The report is presented in the Swedish Match Annual Report, see the most recent annual report.
The Corporate Governance report describes, amongst others, the various decision bodies in the Swedish Match organization and their function and work. Specific explanations are available for those cases in which Swedish Match decided not to comply with the Code, in accordance with the principle Comply or Explain.
A Board member’s independence is determined partly in relation to the company and its management and partly in relation to major shareholders. A presentation of the board members specifying the independent members is available at the page Board of Directors.
All information pertaining to the Annual General Meeting can be found on the page Annual General Meeting.
At the Annual General Meeting all shareholders have the possibility of attending or being represented by an authorized representative. The General Meeting follows the agenda that is set out in the notice to attend. Shareholders have the possibility to have issues being handled at the General Meeting if a request is submitted to the Board in adequate time so that the issue can be included in the notice to the Annual General Meeting.
It is important to register in time and to arrive before the Meeting commences in order to have the right to attend. Nominee shareholders must re-register their shares in conjunction with registering for the Meeting.
Information on the work of the Nominating Committee, present members and how shareholders may submit opinions or present a proposal to the Nominating Committee can be found at the page Nominating Committee.
The Board of Swedish Match annually elects a remuneration committee and an audit committee.
Sustainability
Information can be found on Sustainability on the Company’s website. You will also find information in Swedish Match’s annual report.
Our Code of Conduct forms a foundation for our sustainability approach and efforts throughout the Group. It represents the commitment of Swedish Match and all our employees to conduct business activities in a responsible manner, demonstrating integrity and respect to our stakeholders and society as a whole.
The Company's CFO is responsible for sustainability issues at Swedish Match.
Swedish Match develops, manufactures, and sells quality products with market leading brands. The Group’s product segments are Smokefree, Cigars, and Lights. With its vision of a world without cigarettes, the Group is dedicated to the improvement of public health by offering attractive alternatives to cigarettes with its smokefree products.
Swedish Match is dependent on having relevance and size to reach new markets. A portfolio of various products is needed to be able to reach markets in the US and to successfully reach out with snus and nicotine products without tobacco.
Swedish Match’s five focus areas and overall goals are:
Improve public health: Our goal is to eliminate cigarette use and tobacco related morbidity and mortality by offering smokers attractive and safer sources of nicotine for recreational use (such as Swedish snus and other nicotine containing products like ZYN).
Ensure ethical business practices: At Swedish Match, we will take the necessary steps to ensure that ethical business practices are maintained within our own company and in our relationships with all outside parties.
Reduce environmental impact: Our goal is to limit our environment footprint while growing our business. We are committed to reducing our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and waste along our value chain from sourcing to our own operations and continuing through consumer use.
Human rights in our supply chain: Our goal is the elimination of child labor and other human rights violations in the Company’s supply chain.
Equal opportunity. Our continuing objective is to be a truly open and inclusive employer. In this environment, with zero tolerance for discrimination, all employees have equal opportunity to achieve their full potential – resulting in a more diverse workplace.
We recognize that child labor represents a serious human rights violation in many parts of the world, including areas where we have suppliers. We are committed to improving our risk analyses and processes to proactively reduce and eventually eliminate child labor and related human rights issues with regard to this focus area in our value chain.
Please see Human rights in our supply chain for information on our efforts within this area.
Swedish Match most recent materiality analysis was conducted in 2020. Read about the process on leading up to our five focus areas under Stakeholder dialog and materiality analysis.
Our Code of Conduct covers important sustainability topics above and beyond our five focus areas. It includes our policies on practices regarding ethical business, employment and labor, the environment and workplace.
For best impact and transparency, we believe that group-wide efforts and reporting are most effective if concentrated to key focus areas. Through participation in the Sustainable Tobacco Program, STP, we also address a broad array of key sustainability issues in our tobacco supply chain. Some of the specific questions we have received from external stakeholders relate to deforestation and biodiversity, water stress and occupational health and safety. Please read more about these topics and how we approach them under Other topics outside our focus areas.
Our five sustainability focus areas and our overall sustainability strategy contribute to nine of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These are the areas that are material to the Company and where we believe we can have a positive impact. Please see UN Sustainability Development Goals aligned with our focus areas for more information.
Since 2007, Swedish Match contributes with data for greenhouse gas emissions in a global annual review administrated by the non-profit organization CDP.
In our efforts to contribute to a more sustainable world, managing our supply chain sustainably is fundamental to long term success. We have procedures in place, and under continuous development, to further emphasize sustainable supply chain management. Our Supplier Code of Conduct specifies what we expect and require from our suppliers in terms of employment and labor practices, workplace practices, ethical business practices and environmental management practices. The Supplier Code of Conduct forms the basis for our relationship with suppliers and is an integral part of most of our significant business agreements.
Activities to assure sustainable supply chain management include active dialogue and communication of Swedish Match’s requirements, follow-up on adherence, sustainability audits and proactive community investments.
Please see Human rights in our supply chain for information on our efforts within this area.
No, Swedish Match does not conduct animal testing of its products or product constituents.
Nine of the UN SDGs align with our sustainability focus areas where we believe we can have a meaningful impact and where we have tangible commitments and goals connected to the detailed targets set by the identified SDGs. We also contribute to seven of the remaining eight goals through our general business contribution and societal engagement. Please see Our contribution to the UN SDGs for more information.
During the supplier engagement process, Swedish Match may recommend that certain actions be taken to improve a supplier’s sustainability efforts. Should a supplier fail to comply with the Company’s recommendations, Swedish Match shall strive to resolve the situation through cooperation and information or, if deemed necessary, terminate the relationship.
All products are not for everyone and some consumer groups should not use certain products. This is particularly true for tobacco and other nicotine containing products which are intended for adult use only. Certain other consumer groups are also deemed vulnerable.
For tobacco and nicotine containing products, Swedish Match has an “Adult only policy” which firmly states that all such products shall only be marketed and sold to adults of legal tobacco age in each market. If the legal tobacco age in any market is below 18, Swedish Match shall still adhere to a policy of 18 years of age or over. This means that we shall not direct any marketing, advertising or promotion of tobacco and other nicotine containing products to persons under the age of 18 or the legal tobacco age if it is higher. We are committed to educating, informing and cooperating with retailers, distributors and public officials to prevent the underage use of tobacco and other nicotine containing products. Where it is legal, we may sell and market our products online and use face to face marketing and sampling, but only to age verified adults.
Swedish Match’s Code of Conduct is available on the Company’s website.
The Code consists of several topics related to the following four areas:
Our people: Swedish Match respects its employees and their human rights, and supports internationally proclaimed human rights conventions and guidelines wherever we operate. Our policy on human rights and employment practices is based on local and international labor laws, recommended practices and guidelines.
Our business: Swedish Match is committed to sound business ethics in all our business activities and relations with stakeholders, both within our own operations but also with third parties. We build relationships through honesty and integrity and we respect the laws and regulations in the countries in which we operate.
Our environment: Swedish Match promotes sound initiatives that reduce environmental impacts caused by our operations and we encourage our employees to be conscious and proactive in minimizing these impacts. We undertake programs to continuously improve our environmental performance.
Our job and workplace: Swedish Match is committed to responsible and safe practices and procedures in all business activities both on the job and in the workplace. We promote a working environment with high standards of ethics and morale, where our employees respect and care for one another, Swedish Match as well as the environment.
Swedish Match Code of Conduct complies with international conventions and guidelines on human rights and labor conditions. The international conventions and guidelines referred to here are the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the eight ILO Core Conventions (Nos. 29, 87, 98, 105, 100, 111, 138, and 182), and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.
As part of our activities to help ensure awareness of the Code of Conduct and to find out whether our employees have reviewed or been informed about the Code of Conduct, we conduct periodic employee surveys. Mandatory training on the Code of Conduct is done through e-learning to supplement town hall meetings and similar events. Employees without e-mail accounts, hourly employees and consultants receive training related to the Code of Conduct in group sessions. All employees are to participate in the training on an ongoing basis. Matters addressed in the Code of Conduct are continuously communicated to employees through, for example, the Company’s Intranet.
To further secure sound business ethics within the organization, we encourage all employees to speak up if they become aware of behavior that is not in line with the Code of Conduct. Please see Ensure ethical business practices for more information on the whistleblower function.
At Swedish Match we have zero tolerance towards corruption and bribery. Swedish Match shall not participate in, or through third parties, endorse any corrupt practices. This is clearly stated in the Code of Conduct. Raising awareness and knowledge in these areas within our organization is of high importance and relevant employees are required to complete a specific e-learning on the subject. The e-learning is also open to anyone else within the organization.
Swedish Match has focused on certifying those facilities that account for the largest part of the Company’s production and sales and the majority of our production facilities (9 of 15) are ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 certified. Non-certified factories include our match factories in Curitiba and Piraí do Sul, Brazil, lighters factory in Manaus, Brazil, and businesses acquired since 2017 (Swedish Match Denmark, previously V2 Tobacco, House of Oliver Twist, and Gotlandssnus).
We believe that the most important element of our efforts is to foster a genuine culture of equal opportunity with the right tone from the top. The Group Management Team (GMT) is fully committed to our equal opportunity efforts. Progress is continuously being monitored and senior managers are mindful to set clear examples that help developing and fostering the culture. Many actions are taken each year to ensure that we create and maintain an inclusive work environment. We continually have initiatives to assess and improve our culture from a diversity perspective. We monitor our recruitments and promotions, organize gender equality programs, perform detailed equal pay analyses and conduct other equal employment opportunity efforts. Employee satisfaction and perceived ability to advance and develop are tracked through a global employee opinion survey which also includes parameters on discrimination. Please see Equal opportunity for more information.
In our focus area Reduce environmental impact we commit to doing our part in line with the Paris Agreement, supported by science-based targets for our business’ value chain.
Our climate targets were set through the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and approved in March 2019. Swedish Match has committed to reduce absolute scope 1, 2 and 3 GHG emissions 41 percent by 2030 and 75 percent by 2050 from a 2017 base year. The targets are in line with the level of decarbonization required to keep the rise in global temperature below 2°C compared to preindustrial levels. Please see Reduce environmental impact for more information.
Timber for our match production is sourced locally, close to our factories in Sweden and Brazil. Nearly all of the timber for production of matches in Brazil is grown in Swedish Match’s own plantations. Our plantations consist of roughly 4,500 hectares of planted poplar and pine in the south of the Paraná state and in the north of the Santa Catarina state. Our plantations adhere to strict growing requirements beyond those levels set by local laws and regulations.
Aspen used for the production of matches in Sweden is sourced from the southern part of Sweden in the vicinity of our splint factory and is primarily sourced through major timber suppliers. Relatively small quantities are also sourced directly from individual forest owners. Swedish Match Industries AB, the entity producing matches in Sweden, is certified according to FSC’s standards for Chain of Custody and Controlled Wood.
At December 31, 2020, the share of females among Swedish Match’s total workforce was 41 percent. The share of female managers with direct reports were 26 percent and the share of females in senior management (defined as participants in the Company’s LTI program) was 18 percent.
In 2020, one member (13 percent) of Group Management was female. Share of female members in Board of Directors appointed by the Annual General Meeting was 38 percent.
Please see Equal opportunity for more information.
We continuously work to reduce the use of packaging material and other materials associated with our products and explore the possibilities to use recycled materials where permitted in the local legislation. We also work actively towards increasing the recyclability of consumer packaging materials at the end of their product life and collaborate with our business partners in local markets to raise consumer awareness and implement littering prevention initiatives.
We have implemented different initiatives to address the issue of post-consumer waste from our products. We have ceased the use of black plastic cans for our snus range sold in Scandinavia, eliminating more than 800 tons of non-recyclable plastics annually. We also partnered with organizations in Sweden and Norway to provide infrastructure to further enable recycling and raise consumer awareness regarding littering issues.
For both Swedish snus and US moist snuff, the plastic cans and lids are made from polypropylene. Rolls of cans are mostly shrink-wrapped in polyethylene. At complete combustion, only carbon dioxide and water remain from these plastics. All coloring agents in the plastic are approved for food packaging.
Paperboard is the standard snus packaging used for loose snus. It is made from recycled paper and the inside is covered in paraffin wax to keep the product separated from the packaging. Using paperboard means that the packaging materials will biodegrade easily.
For cigars, the usage of FoilFresh® packaging has provided longer shelf life of products, reducing the need for returns of old or stale product, which in turn can reduce waste to the landfill.
Also, the use of 100 percent recycled paperboard within certain packaging formats has increased significantly over the past years. All byproduct paper from the production of packaging material used in the Company’s factory in Dothan (Alabama, the US) is returned to the supplier, who converts it to an energy source.
For matches, post-consumer recycled fibers are being used for the vast majority of the production of inner and outer match boxes. Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified materials are increasingly being used for match cardboard.
For lighters, packaging for utility lighters has been developed which helps to minimize the use of material. This also helps to maximize the amount of units that can be loaded on freight containers when distributing the products. Nylon usage for lighter production at the Assen factory has been reduced which should result in notable waste reduction in production in the coming years.
Swedish Match acknowledges the importance of sustainable agriculture, and that support and collaboration from national governments as well as international organizations is essential in order to address these issues.
Swedish Match’s standpoint is that tobacco farmers are best positioned to choose the composition of crops they grow. Tobacco farming is also a valuable and predictable source of income, which contributes to increase the welfare of farmers and can enhance food security in the middle run.
No, Swedish Match does not use any kind of genetically modified tobacco in its products.
Swedish Match complies with the eight International Labour Organization (ILO) Core Conventions (Nos. 29, 87, 98, 105, 100, 111, 138, and 182). Within the area of freedom of association and collective bargaining, the Company specifically complies with convention number 87 (Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize Convention) and number 98 (Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining Convention).
Swedish Match recognizes and respects employees’ rights and freedom to join or form (non-violent) assembly or associations of their own choice and to bargain collectively. No employee shall be subject to dismissal, discrimination, harassment, intimidation, or retaliation for exercising these rights. Swedish Match shall facilitate open communication and direct engagement between employees and management in situations where the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining are restricted under law.
Employee representation structures are in place on all sites in Sweden. In accordance with the Act on Co-Determination at Work (MBL), Swedish Match has an agreement concerning collaboration with trade union organizations active in the Group´s Swedish business units. Under this agreement, a council comprising management representatives and employee representatives appointed to the board of Directors meets in advance of scheduled Board meetings and on other ad hoc occasions. The council focuses on particular issues that could result in MBL negotiations. A reference group also meets in advance of such Board meetings, comprised of local trade union representatives on waged and salaried employees.
In the US, union rights are protected by law under the National Labor Relations Act. Swedish Match complies with all legal requirements of the Act by respecting employees’ freedom of association, mutual aid or protection, self-organization, to form, join or assist in labor organizations, to bargain collectively for wages and working conditions through representatives of their own choosing and to engage in other protected concerted activities with or without a Union.
In Brazil, union participation is mandatory according to the Brazilian Labour Laws. Annual negotiations of agreements and labor conditions are conducted within each professional category.
