JTI's global representation provides us with the outlook and opportunity to tackle some of the most pressing social and environmental challenges facing the communities we operate in. Our Community Investment programs make real the commitment to creating a better future in everything we do.
We believe that open, fair and inclusive societies benefit all, and that everyone should have the opportunity to participate in the social, economic and cultural life of their communities. We are proud of the role our Community Investment programs play in promoting inclusion in all its forms, and in many of the markets where we are present.
In 2023, JTI has invested more than USD 42 million to make communities more inclusive and resilient. As part of our Sustainability targets, we have pledged funding of USD 600 million to Community Investment programs by the year 2030*. And we are well on track to deliver on this ambition.
*Reporting period: 2015 to 2030
Central to our Community Investment efforts is a sustained focus on the contribution of volunteering. We offer our employees significant scope to dedicate their time from within working hours to Community Investment.
Volunteering is a powerful way for JTI to invest in our people and our local communities simultaneously. This has proved fulfilling at all levels – enriching engagement with beneficiary communities, generating opportunities to learn new skills and making our employees proud to be part of a larger and worthwhile endeavor.
In 2023 alone, close to 9,800 of our employees dedicated over 21,000 hours to helping others, and we have a Group-wide goal to reach 300,000 hours of volunteering hours by 2030* – a target we are rapidly advancing towards.
*Reporting period: 2015 to 2030
Our Community Investment initiatives are split in three key programs:
The majority of our Community Investment initiatives are funded and managed by our local market organizations around the world. It is important that we rely on them to identify the areas of need most relevant to their communities, and to use their expertise to design and implement effective initiatives.
In many of our emerging markets, water remains a precious resource. Launched in 2019, our WASH* initiative has an ambitious goal of providing access to clean water and improved sanitation and hygiene facilities for one million people by the end of 2025.
Our local Community Investment teams partner with international and local organizations specializing in WASH, bringing innovative solutions tailored to the needs of communities in countries ranging from Bolivia to Bangladesh, and Ethiopia to Uzbekistan.
This program has already delivered improved water and sanitation to around 500,000 people, and continues to grow in scope keeping us on track to meet our 2025 target.
*Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)
Since 2001, the JTI Foundation has helped communities around the globe to become safer and more resilient to natural and man-made disasters.
We support projects through our NGO partners that help people affected by disasters to rebuild their livelihoods. We also invest in long-term risk-reduction projects that raise community awareness and improve basic infrastructure.
By 2023 our investments had reached a total of USD 492 million.
By 2023 they had already dedicated more than 215,000 hours in total.
