Sustainability
Pursuing our vision represents a great commercial opportunity as well as a significant contribution to society.
Our approach to sustainability
Our vision of A world without cigarettes is central to our sustainability strategy and how we contribute to making the world a better place.
Through our strategy, we emphasize five focus areas – Improve public health, Ensure ethical business practices, Reduce environmental impact, Human rights in our supply chain, and Equal opportunity – 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 focus areas
Highlights 2021
- 5 years in a row MSCI rated Swedish Match as a sustainability leader within the sector.
- Swedish Match nicotine pouches are available in more than 20 countries.
- 100% of all significant suppliers of direct material have committed to the principles of Swedish Match Supplier Code of Conduct.
- 95% of our raw tobacco volumes included in STP or in Swedish Match’s due diligence program.
- 99% of our suppliers’ farmers have been monitored for child labor under STP.
- –7% C02e emissions per MSEK sales.
- –9% Scope 3 emissions reduction for our smokefree products through active engagement with our suppliers.
- 94% share of green electricity in Europe Division versus 83% in 2020.
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) 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
Our sustainability strategy is founded on two basic principles – focus and organizational ownership. While our sustainability work spans across a broad array of topics, for best impact and transparency we believe that group-wide efforts and reporting are most effective if concentrated to key areas of focus with strong organization ownership.
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.
A value chain perspective helps Swedish Match to identify how it can best manage its impacts and create maximal value. The Group’s sustainability risks related to the value chain and how they are managed, as well as the degree of Swedish Match’s influence along the value chain, and the value created for the Company and the society are also identified here.
Our contribution to the UN SDGs
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.
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FAQ
What was the process leading up to your five focus areas and how about other areas – are they not important as well?
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.
Swedish Match’s vision is a world without cigarettes. What do you mean by that, and what about cigars?
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.
