A world without cigarettes.
This is the bet of the tobacco giant Philip Morris International, behind the Marlboro, Philip Morris or Chesterfield brands.
In a recent interview with the British daily Telegraph, the group's leaders, André Calantzopoulos and Jacek Olczak, urge the British government to ban smoking.
"
The United Kingdom should treat cigarettes like gasoline cars, and ban them in ten years,
" said the two men, chairman of the board and CEO of the group respectively.
Read also: Cigarettes soon to be in the minority in Marlboro sales
“
We can see a world without cigarettes
,” says Jacek Olczak
.
In fact, the sooner it happens, the better it is for everyone ”.
A position he had already defended in an interview with the daily Nikkei.
He then expressed his desire to stop selling classic cigarettes in Japan within "
ten years
".
If the recent statements of the boss of the group may surprise, they are nevertheless aligned with the ambition of Philip Morris International (PMI).
For several years, the group has wanted to exit the cigarette market to focus on alternative products, perceived as less harmful, such as combustion-free vaporization products containing nicotine or electronic cigarettes.
For the founding group of "
the Marlboro man
" and its new leader who arrived a few weeks ago, it is possible, within ten years, to "
solve the tobacco problem once and for all
", by offering good alternatives to conventional cigarettes and providing sufficient information to consumers.
Towards a "
smoke-free
" world
Still according to the CEO, quoted by Nikkei, so-called "
smokeless
"
cigarettes
are currently "
sold in 67 countries and regions
", a figure that Jacek Olczak wants to see increase to 100 by 2025. PMI has more than one turn in his bag and count on his alternatives to cigarettes to maintain his activity.
In a recent press release, the group indicates that "
approximately 14 million adults worldwide have already switched to IQOS (the heated tobacco product sold by the group, Editor's note) and have quit smoking
".
According to figures confirmed by Philip Morris France, alternatives to conventional cigarettes represented 28.5% of the group's total turnover in the second quarter of 2021. The group undertook, in its last annual report, to
"drastically reduce the share of cigarettes. in its turnover and ensure that non-combustion alternatives represent more than 50% of PMI's total net income by 2025
”.
Despite the differences between the French and British market, this ambitious vision also applies to the subsidiary Philip Morris France (PMF), which targets the tempting French market, made up of 11 million adult smokers. President of PMF, Jeanne Pollès explains that
"in the United Kingdom, we can consider quitting smoking in the relatively near future because public health policy incorporates alternatives
". In France, this transition will take more time: the French regulatory framework "
does not open up the same perspectives and does not allow adult smokers to be aware of complete information on these alternatives with risk profiles different from that of cigarettes. »
, She specifies
.
Read also: Philip Morris takes a step in the drug
The group continues without a quest for “
nicotine-free
”, particularly in the field of health.
He notably announced the purchase of the Danish pharmaceutical company Fertin Pharma, which specializes in tobacco substitutes for an amount of 820 million dollars.
Philip Morris International announced at the beginning of July an agreement to buy back one billion pounds of the British company Vectura, which specializes in medical inhalers, particularly intended to treat related diseases that may be linked to smoking. The group also recently announced an agreement to buy the British company Vectura, which specializes in medical inhalers, particularly intended to treat related diseases that may be linked to smoking.
