Sustainability is a core part of the Group’s transformation strategy. As the Group works towards the vision of Building a Smokeless World, it recognises that it must transform responsibly.
The BAT Group’s Sustainability Strategy
BAT Group seeks to take a leading role in tackling the biggest global issues in sustainability. The Group aims to do this by responsibly Building a Smokeless World, reducing its use of natural resources and delivering its climate goals as it transitions to A Better Tomorrow™.
The Group’s sustainability strategy focuses on five strategic impact areas and reflects what's important to its employees, consumers, communities, investors, suppliers, and business partners.
These areas are supported by external reporting, stakeholder engagement and responsible business practices, guiding the Group’s future sustainability targets and ambitions.
Click here for more information on the Group’s Sustainability Strategy and progress against targets.
BAT Group’s approach to sustainability reporting has continuously evolved to meet the needs of stakeholders and regulation requirements.
Click here for access to the Group’s reporting suite.
The Group, guided by its Double Materiality Assessment (DMA), reports with reference to relevant frameworks such as:
This content is not a complete description of Group policies and standards, but offers an overview of those likely to be of particular interest to stakeholders, with links to the documents.
Our Standards of Business Conduct are a set of global policies of British American Tobacco, expressing the high standards of integrity we are committed to upholding. The Standards apply to all Group companies and employees and require high standards of behaviour and integrity wherever our businesses operate.
Each operating company in the Group must adopt the SoBC, or its own standards reflecting them, and each employee is expected to know and comply with their provisions. General Managers and Heads of Function formally confirm on an annual basis that their market or business unit has adequate procedures in place to support SoBC compliance, and continuous information on performance against the Standards is gathered and reported quarterly to the Board Audit Committee.
Read more - BAT Standards of Business
Our Responsible Marketing Principles (RMP) govern our approach to marketing across our tobacco, nicotine and zero nicotine products and brands*. We believe tobacco and nicotine consumption is a choice for adults only. No one underage should ever smoke or use products containing tobacco or nicotine.
Central to the RMP the requirement that our marketing is targeted at adult consumers only. The RMP are globally applicable and apply to all BAT companies, employees and anyone working on our behalf. We uphold the same high standards in every market we operate, even when they are stricter than local laws.
Adherence by our companies forms part of our regular internal audit process, supported by annual self-certification by management and Audit Committee review.
Read more - Responsible Marketing Principles
* Note: This does not include products which are 1) Medicinal or smoking cessation products; 2) Non-inhalation products which do not contain nicotine or tobacco and which do not utilise a brand that is or has been used for tobacco or nicotine products; and 3) Sold by the Wellbeing & Stimulation business of BAT or BTV investee company.
Our Supplier Code of Conduct complements our Group Standards of Business Conduct by defining the minimum standards we expect our suppliers to adhere to in order to supply goods or services to BAT and any BAT Group company. This builds upon our long-standing commitment to operating to high standards of corporate conduct for both our own business operations and our wider supply chain. It also supports our continuing commitment to respect human rights and uphold international standards, including the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.
Read more - Supplier Code of Conduct