Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Highlights Achievements with its 2022 Sustainability Report

TORONTO, Sept. 18, 2023 – Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc. (RBH), today, has released its 2022 Sustainability Report, Towards a Sustainable Future. The report outlines the company’s leadership in areas such as addressing post-consumer waste, reducing its environmental footprint, and improving employee wellness.

Towards a Sustainable Future details how RBH integrates environmental, social, and governance factors into its daily operations and across its four sustainability pillars: creating a smoke-free future, operating with excellence, caring for people, and protecting the environment. Highlights of this year’s report include RBH action on the following priorities:

• Creating a Smoke-Free Future
  • Advancing the need for a supportive regulatory framework to ensure consumers know about, can access, and can afford all smoke-free alternatives such as heated tobacco, vaping, and nicotine pouches to help enable a rapid transition away from cigarettes. And, while Health Canada has started to recognize that not all nicotine products are the same, there is a need for progressive regulations for all smoke-free alternatives.
• Operating with Excellence
  • RBH continues to be adamant that no youth or non-nicotine users should ever use nicotine containing products. In recommendations to Health Canada as part of the consultation on the first mandatory review of the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act, RBH called for tougher penalties to prevent the sale of nicotine containing products to minors and the strengthening of age verification requirements. As well, RBH also has and continues to conduct training with retail partners on youth access prevention requirements.
• Caring for People
  • Provided more than $250,000 in support to meaningful causes across Canada such as Indigenous mentorship and empowerment initiatives, biodiversity and conservation efforts, and women’s emergency support services.
  • Invested $800,000 in employee training programs to help team members upskill and work towards lifetime employability.
• Protecting the Environment
  • Increased the number of retail locations participating in RBH’s national Smoke-Free Recycling Program to more than 3,500 retail stores nationwide.
  • Engaged more than 2,400 volunteers who collected a total of 47,373 kg of litter, including over 1.3 million cigarette butts – double the amount collected in 2021 – via the National Unsmoke Canada Clean-up efforts.
  • Reduced CO2 emissions between 2021 and 2022 by 45 per cent and water consumption by 40 per cent in RBH’s Quebec City manufacturing plant.

Sustainability is a core part of RBH’s transformation and ambition to create a smoke-free future. Looking ahead, the organization will continue to take steps and look for opportunities to have a positive impact on communities, the economy, and the environment.

To read RBH’s 2022 Sustainability Report, Towards a Sustainable Future, please visit: https://www.rbhinc.ca/home/how-we-give-back

Quote: Kory McDonald, Head, External Affairs, RBH

• Sustainability is at the heart of all of our actions as we undergo our tremendous business transformation and transition to a smoke-free future.
• Our ongoing journey has presented an amazing opportunity for positive innovation, growth, and purpose-led outcomes spanning our governance and environmental initiatives.
• Eradicating cigarettes and creating a smoke-free Canada requires change at every level. It requires working with multiple stakeholders to address root causes, build collective responses, and create permanent solutions. Success requires a change in attitudes and behaviors as well as the modernization of Canadian government policies and laws.
• With the second legislative review of the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act (TVPA) underway, we encourage Government to put their words into action and build on their recognition of the harm reduction potential of smoke-free alternatives.
• With science and innovation guiding the way, we can accelerate our shared vision for a smoke-free Canada and drive meaningful change.

For further information: Media Inquiries: E-mail: media@RBHINC.ca

NT4