Respecting and safeguarding human rights across our operations and value chain.
Human rights are fundamental, no matter where we operate. We work across the globe, including in regions where these rights face challenges, and we confront that head-on. We rely on ongoing due diligence, run programs to root out workplace discrimination and inequality, and back initiatives to eliminate child labor in our industry.
Our worldwide presence means human rights are woven into how we function. We hold fast to core principles: owning up to smoking's health risks, being open about our product ingredients, and prioritizing adult choice-including developing options that could lessen exposure to harmful tobacco smoke components. We stand firm that minors should never smoke or vape. These values drive our policies, Code of Conduct, and daily operations.
Our commitment has landed us a leading spot on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for three years running, scoring 98/100 in the latest ranking.
Human rights governance
We ensure robust governance to embed human rights across our global operations. Oversight of our policies involves the JT Group Board, CEOs, and local teams. External experts, advisory boards, and committees guide and refine our strategy.
Human rights approach
We respect all internationally recognized human rights, guided by the International Bill of Human Rights, ILO standards, and UNGPs. Through our policies, we uphold ethical practices across our operations and supply chains, addressing impacts and promoting human rights globally.
Salient issues
To tackle human rights effectively, we focus on our most pressing issues. The UN Guiding Principles Reporting Framework highlights "salient human rights issues" as those most at risk of severe harm from our actions or partnerships, prioritizing impact on people by severity and likelihood. We identified nine key issues in 2016, reassessed them in 2021 and 2023, and updated them last year. Now, we recognize ten critical risks spanning our operations, value chain, and new business ties, reflecting today’s realities.
Guided by the UN Guiding Principles, we've made human rights due diligence a core part of our business, as outlined in our JT Group Human Rights Policy and JTI Human Rights Commitment. This process helps us spot and evaluate real and potential risks, drawing on our human rights impact assessments to prevent harm and uphold top standards across our operations and value chain.
Even during the pandemic, our commitment held strong. We adapted by adjusting our assessment methods, including launching self-assessment questionnaires with about 100 questions tied to our due diligence, operations, and key issues. Internal and external experts review responses, pinpointing gaps and risks for targeted action plans.
Our human rights impact assessments target effects on people across our core operations and value streams, involving site visits to farming, processing, manufacturing, and sales operations, plus interviews with employees, workers, and reps from suppliers, clients, and partners. Afterward, we share findings and improvement recommendations with local management, collaborating with our head office to tackle issues and enhance conditions.
Our commitment to human rights is upheld through our Code of Conduct and Your Voice, a global reporting mechanism for employees and partners to confidentially report concerns without fear of retaliation. In 2023, 10% of 478 reported cases involved human rights, with proven violations addressed through dismissals, warnings, or corrective actions.
We partner with internal and external stakeholders to create widespread change, investing in global and local collaborations to sustain our impact. Since 2002, as part of the ECLT Foundation Board, we’ve backed efforts to eliminate child labor, working with peers, the ITGA, and suppliers to build child-labor-free farming communities, while the Sustainable Tobacco Program advances better practices and human rights standards.
We share insights with over 40 companies through the BSR Human Rights Working Group, and since 2017, our External Human Rights Advisory Board has shaped our strategy, including the JTI Human Rights Commitment. Internally, our teams drive progress by implementing action plans from due diligence in high-risk areas, focusing on employees, children, growers, suppliers, and vulnerable groups like women, migrants, and LGBTQI+ individuals.