- BAT is building A Better Tomorrow with
sustainability at the heart of its business
- BAT recognised as a sustainability leader
for 19th consecutive year - the only
tobacco company to be included in the prestigious DJSI World
Index
- BAT highest scoring tobacco company
in DJSI - leading the industry in 13 out
of 23 categories
LONDON, Nov. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- British American
Tobacco p.l.c. (BAT) has been named in the Dow Jones
Sustainability Indices (DJSI) for the 19th
consecutive year and, once again, is the only
tobacco company to be included in the prestigious DJSI
World Index.
BAT is the highest scoring tobacco company in
2020, with industry leading scores in 13 of the
23 categories assessed, whilst achieving a
top score of 100% in 7 categories.
Created by S&P Dow Jones Indices, the DJSI represents the
gold standard for tracking corporate
sustainability. In 2020, around 3,500 companies
had their sustainability practices assessed against
ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) criteria. Only the
top 10% are recognised as leaders in
corporate sustainability and achieve DJSI World Index
inclusion. BAT is also recognised by MCSI with a BBB rating
and Sustainalytics with a 27.8 ESG rating*.
BAT's 'A Better Tomorrow' Corporate Purpose
This announcement is a further demonstration of BAT's continued
commitment to its purpose, to build A Better
Tomorrow by reducing the health impact of its global
business, which entails:
- Committing to providing adult consumers with a wide range of
enjoyable and less risky products
- Continuing to be clear that combustible cigarettes pose
serious health risks, and the only way to avoid these risks is not
to start or to quit
- Encouraging those who otherwise continue to smoke, to switch
completely to scientifically-substantiated, reduced-risk
alternatives
- Tracking and sharing progress of our transformation
BAT aims to accelerate the growth of its New Category revenues
at a faster rate than its total revenue,
reaching £5billion in 2025. BAT has an ambition to reach
50 million consumers of non-combustible products worldwide by 2030.
Today, BAT's non-combustible products are already available in more
than 50 countries across the globe.
Kingsley Wheaton, Chief
Marketing Officer at BAT, said:
"At BAT, sustainability is at the heart of
our transformation, and we are proud to have been
included in the DJSI for a 19thconsecutive
year.
"We have a bold purpose to deliver A Better Tomorrow by
reducing the health impact of our business.
"We are making great progress towards our ambition. We
already have nearly 12 million users of our non-combustible
products and in the last 12 months have added nearly a quarter of a
million new consumers every month.
"We believe our inclusion in the DJSI World
Index, combined with the recognition we
have received from other respected ESG ratings
agencies including MSCI and Sustainalytics, is testament
to our commitment to accelerate the transformation our
company."
Manjit Jus, Global Head of ESG
Research and Data, S&P Global:
"We congratulate BAT plc for being included in the DJSI World
and Europe. A DJSI
distinction is a reflection of being a sustainability
leader in your industry. With a record number of companies
participating in the 2020 Corporate Sustainability Assessment and
more stringent rules for inclusion this year, this sets your
company apart and rewards your continued commitment to people and
planet."
*Sustainalytics risk ratings range from zero to 40 with a score
of zero representing the lowest ESG risk
NOTES TO EDITORS
About BAT
BAT is a leading, multi-category consumer goods business,
established in 1902. Our purpose is to build A Better Tomorrow by
reducing the health impact of our business through offering a
greater choice of enjoyable and less risky products for our
consumers. The company has announced a target of increasing the
number of its non-combustible product consumers from 11 million to
50 million by 2030; and to achieve at least £5 billion in New
Categories revenues in by 2025. BAT has also committed to
encouraging those who otherwise continue to smoke, to switch
completely to scientifically-substantiated, reduced-risk
alternatives.
Forward Looking Statements
This communication contains certain forward-looking statements,
including "forward-looking" statements made within the meaning of
Section 21E of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
These statements are often, but not always, made through the use of
words or phrases such as "believe," "anticipate," "could," "may,"
"would," "should," "intend," "plan," "potential," "predict,"
"will," "expect," "estimate," "project," "positioned," "strategy,"
"outlook", "target" and similar expressions. These include
statements regarding our intentions, beliefs or current
expectations concerning, amongst other things, our results of
operations, financial condition, liquidity, prospects, growth,
strategies and the economic and business circumstances occurring
from time to time in the countries and markets in which the BAT
Group operates.
All such forward-looking statements involve estimates and
assumptions that are subject to risks, uncertainties and other
factors that could cause actual future financial condition,
performance and results to differ materially from the plans, goals,
expectations and results expressed in the forward-looking
statements and other financial and/or statistical data within this
communication. Among the key factors that could cause actual
results to differ materially from those projected in the
forward-looking statements are uncertainties related to the
following: the impact of competition from illicit trade; the impact
of adverse domestic or international legislation and regulation;
changes in domestic or international tax laws and rates and the
impact of an unfavourable ruling by a tax authority in a disputed
area; adverse litigation and dispute outcomes and the effect of
such outcomes on the BAT Group's financial condition; changes or
differences in domestic or international economic or political
conditions; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; adverse decisions
by domestic or international regulatory bodies; the impact of
market size reduction and consumer down-trading; translational and
transactional foreign exchange rate exposure; the impact of serious
injury, illness or death in the workplace; the ability to maintain
credit ratings and to fund the business under the current capital
structure; the inability to develop, commercialise and rollout New
Categories; and changes in the market position, businesses,
financial condition, results of operations or prospects of the BAT
Group.
It is believed that the expectations reflected in this
communication are reasonable, but they may be affected by a wide
range of variables that could cause actual results to differ
materially from those currently anticipated. Past performance is no
guide to future performance and persons needing advice should
consult an independent financial adviser. The forward-looking
statements reflect knowledge and information available at the date
of preparation of this communication and the BAT Group undertakes
no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements,
whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such
forward-looking statements.
No statement in this communication is intended to be a profit
forecast and no statement in this communication should be
interpreted to mean that earnings per share of BAT for the current
or future financial years would necessarily match or exceed the
historical published earnings per share of BAT.
Additional information concerning these and other factors can be
found in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including the Annual Report on Form
20-F filed on 26 March 2020 and
Current Reports on Form 6-K, which may be obtained free of charge
at the SEC's website, http://www.sec.gov, and the Company's Annual
Reports, which may be obtained free of charge from the British
American Tobacco website www.bat.com.
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