Sustainability
Pursuing our vision represents a great commercial opportunity as well as a significant contribution to society.
Our focus areas
Our sustainability strategy is founded on two basic principles – focus and organizational ownership.
Through this strategy, we emphasize six areas – greenhouse gases, waste, ethical business practices, equal opportunity, public health and child labor – areas where we believe we have the ability to directly or indirectly influence meaningful outcomes or where adverse developments could have a negative impact on our businesses.
Our contribution to the UN SDGs
Our six sustainability focus areas and our overall sustainability strategy contribute to eight 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.
SBTi has approved Swedish Match's GHG Reduction Targets
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. In 2018, these targets were submitted to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)1) for an official validation and verified against the SBTi criteria. Swedish Match is proud to announce that in March 2019, the targets were approved. This means that SBTi has recognized Swedish Match’s targets as being science-based and thus in line with the level of decarbonization required to keep global temperature increase below 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial temperatures.
1) The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) is a collaboration between CDP, the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). The SBTi defines and promotes best practice in science-based target setting and independently assesses and approves companies’ targets.
In focus
Sustainability is embedded in our value proposition and is a significant driver of our long term success. In 2019, Sustainability planning was for the first time integrated with the financial long range planning process (three year time horizon) at the divisional and Group levels.
The Code of Conduct represents the commitment of Swedish Match and of all employees to conduct business activities in a responsible manner and consistent with applicable laws and regulations. The Code consists of a number of topics related to the following four areas: our people, our business, our environment, and our job and workplace.
Related
FAQ
Swedish Match most recent materiality analysis was conducted in 2016 and formed the basis for our 6 identified focus areas. Read about the process on Stakeholder dialog and materiality analysis.
Our focus areas form the basis for our common roadmap; this is where we put extra effort and coordinate external reporting of our progress. Swedish Match is a global company made up of largely autonomous operating units. We take a common group approach in our focus areas, while maintaining a number of sustainability initiatives above and beyond these focus areas with tailored targets and actions at the divisional/operating unit levels. Sustainability work spans across a broad array of topics, and for best impact and transparency we believe that group-wide efforts and reporting are most effective if concentrated to key areas of focus.
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 Company’s product segments are Smokefree, Cigars, and Lights. With its vision of a world without cigarettes, the Company is dedicated to the improvement of public health by offering attractive alternatives to cigarettes with its smokeless 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.
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.
