About 1 billion people worldwide smoke. However, despite active awareness campaigns in various countries, there has been no significant decline in the number of smokers. Sometimes governments impose regulatory and prohibitive measures in this regard, but the results do not change. Experts do not forecast a sharp decrease in the number of smokers in the future. As a result, this shows that awareness campaigns and other measures are ineffective. However, scientific and innovative approaches may be more effective in addressing the smoking problem than the measures taken so far and may lead to a significant reduction in deaths caused by smoking. This can only happen if smokers switch to alternative smoke-free tobacco products.

You can learn all the interesting details about this in the interview with Stefano Volpetti, President of Smoke-Free Inhaled Products at Philip Morris International (PMI).

FED.AZ business news portal presents Stefano Volpetti’s interview:

Mr. Volpetti, according to official statistics, about 1.2 billion people worldwide smoke. The number of deaths caused by smoking is also high, and this statistic continues to grow. What is the impactful way of awareness efforts to reduce these statistics?

Of course, our position on this matter is completely clear and understandable. As we state in our slogan: if you don’t smoke, don’t start; if you smoke, quit; and if you don’t quit, then switch to less risky products. It has been scientifically proven that smoke-free tobacco products are less harmful compared to cigarettes. In general, I would like to mention that we offer three types of smoke-free products. These include heated tobacco, oral nicotine, and electronic vapor products. The key feature of these product categories is that they do not involve combustion. One of the primary characteristics of these products is the absence of a combustion process. Since there is no combustion, up to 95% of the substances harmful to the human body are eliminated. In other words, products created using the latest technologies do not transmit those harmful substances into the human body.

The second characteristic of these products is that they provide individuals who do not quit smoking with the opportunity and means to switch to smoke-free alternatives. This, in turn, protects smokers from consuming the majority of harmful substances found in cigarettes.

If we look at the Swedish experience, we see that this country allowed the use of these products as early as the 2000s, resulting in a significant decrease in the number of smokers among the population. The experience of Japan is also interesting. In 2014, thanks to the launch of our smoke-free products in Japan, 10 million people switched from cigarettes to alternative products within 10 years, that is, by 2024. Furthermore, within less than 10 years, smoking incidence in that country decreased from 19.6% to 10.6%.

Currently, 35% of the Japanese population uses smoke-free products. Of them, 27% falls on PMI products while 8% on other ones. Globally, PMI holds a 75% share of heated tobacco products while 25% is accounted for by competitor companies.

Can governments impose any prohibitive measures regarding the production or sale of cigarettes, and if so, how effective would they be?

Categorically, I would like to state that prohibition is not the solution. If there is consumer demand, they will obtain these products from anywhere. Looking at history, we see that even in ancient times, states applied the first two lines of our slogan, "If you don’t smoke, don’t start! If you smoke, quit!"

In general, some governments have used various prohibitive measures in this area. These bans, including age restrictions and general bans, have had an opposite effect. A report by the World Health Organization (WHO) reveals that as a result of prohibitions, the number of smokers has actually increased. I want to stress one point: in countries where smoke-free products are banned as an alternative to cigarettes, the number of smokers has increased – the demand in this area has grown. For example, in Turkey and India, where smoke-free products are prohibited, cigarette consumption has risen. However, in countries such as Italy, Germany, Japan, Korea, and Egypt, where the use of smoke-free tobacco products is permitted, cigarette consumption has decreased while the number of users of alternative products has increased.

As we know, it is not possible to entirely quit nicotine. However, as an alternative, smoke-free products are also offered. What are the advantages of these products?

None of our smoke-free alternative products involve tobacco combustion. Nicotine is addictive, but it is not the main cause of diseases associated with smoking. Nicotine itself does not cause cancer; it is addictive and is only intended for adults. It is well-known that pharmaceutical industry produces certain medications that contain nicotine.

Therefore, the advantage of smoke-free tobacco products is that they contain 95% fewer harmful substances compared to cigarettes.

Mr. Volpetti, we would like to know about PMI’s revenues from these products.

Let me state that in 2014, 10 years ago, the share of smoke-free tobacco products in our total revenues was zero. Currently, more than 38% of our revenues come from smoke-free tobacco products. Our goal is to ensure that by 2030, over 66% of our revenues will come from smoke-free tobacco products. This figure is driven by the fact that in 25 countries, more than 50% of our revenues are generated from these products. In some countries, this figure even exceeds 70%.

Which countries consume smoke-free tobacco products most? Which countries can be considered success stories in terms of launch of these products?

That’s an interesting question. In this area, that is, reducing the number of smokers and encouraging the use of alternatives, we have achieved significant progress and success in several countries. These include two major and developed Asian countries: Japan and South Korea. There are two key reasons for this success. The first one is that PMI products were launched earlier in these countries.

The second reason is that the laws in these countries allow the sale of these products. Respective laws have created the conditions for adult smokers to access these products.

We have also achieved certain progress in this area in other countries. Along with these countries, I can also mention Sweden as part of our successful strategy. For your information, Sweden has the lowest smoking incidence in the world.

This is primarily because the country’s healthcare authorities allowed the use of smoke-free tobacco products (in 2002). The correct steps taken by healthcare authorities in this field have brought impressive results in 22 years.

It is known that smoke-free products, naturally, are less harmful compared to cigarettes. However, even smoke-free products still do some harm to the human body. What new technological innovations will be needed in the future to further reduce this harm?

The products introduced by PMI reduce the levels of harmful substances in aerosol versus tobacco smoke by 95-98% due to the absence of combustion.

Currently, our main strategic vision is to direct smokers toward the use of smoke-free tobacco products. Due to this strategic plan and mindset, we can free people from consuming the majority of harmful substances found in cigarettes. When we offer these products to smokers in any country, it means we are not only reducing the harm caused to their health, but also making a significant contribution to public health.

Baku – Abu Dhabi – Baku

Interview prepared by:

Elnur Huseynquluyev

Director and Editor-in-Chief