Corporate social responsibility actions (CSR) are measures and values adopted by companies to enhance their image in society. According to numerous studies, when developed by the tobacco industry (IT), these actions end up being characterized more by their interference in public health than by their commitment to society.
Some tobacco companies make financial donations or contributions to the community, health, welfare, or environmental organizations directly or through other entities. The disclosure of these corporate “socially responsible” activities to the public might be considered commendable. However, its likely effect is to directly or indirectly promote tobacco products.
This document aims to address the CSR strategies used by the tobacco industry in Brazil to address child labor, especially in tobacco growing regions of the country. It also addresses the industry's CSR strategies aimed at children and adolescents in urban environments, which include projects to create startups aimed at youth entrepreneurship and other projects aimed at inserting young adults into the labor market.
RICHTER, Ana Paula; HASSELMANN, Luis Guilherme Hasselmann; TORRES, Raquel; POLLNOW, Germano Ehlert, TURCI, Silvana Rubano; SILVA, Vera Luiza da Costa e. Uso pela indústria do tabaco (IT) de estratégias de Responsabilidade Social Corporativa (RSC) na promoção ao combate ao trabalho infantil [projeto STOP]. Centro de Estudos sobre Tabaco e Saúde (Cetab), Rio de Janeiro, 21 out. 2022. 30p.
What do you get when you call for creators around the world to stand up to Big Tobacco? More than 800 videos and social media graphics calling out the industry for the harms it causes, from creators across 43 countries.
It was all part of this year’s Global Media Competition, an annual contest organized by the Global Center for Good Governance in Tobacco Control, a partner in STOP. The competition gives creators the chance to spark positive change by raising awareness of the tobacco industry’s duplicitous business practices.
Highlights with topics considered to be prominent in order to promote debates and decision-making in the field of tobacco control. In this edition, the agenda deals with ANVISA's decision to maintain the ban on Defs in Brazil. CETAB/Fiocruz in partnership with STOP (Stopping Tobacco Organizations and Products), the UNION, Vital Strategy, and other governmental and non-governmental organizations, once again opposed the proposals of the tobacco industry and its front groups , so that the production, commercialization and advertising of Electronic Devices for Smoking (DEFS) were allowed in Brazil.
KORNALEWSKI, Alex Medeiros; CARVALHO, Alexandre Octavio Ribeiro de; BARATA, Danielle; LEONEL, Filipe; TURCI, Silvana Rubano. Destaques do Observatório sobre as Estratégias da Indústria do Tabaco. Cetab/Ensp/Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, mai. 2021. Acesso em: 5 maio 2021.
In just over a decade, the global community has made significant tobacco control progress, with some 4.7 billion people—63% of the world’s population—now covered by at least one comprehensive policy measure, a quadrupling since 2007 when only 1 billion people (15% of the world’s population) were covered.1 Despite this success, there is much to be done, particularly in the areas of policy implementation and enforcement. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than one-fifth of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) consider better enforcement of FCTC measures absolutely imperative.2 Achieving this ambitious goal is dependent on several related factors: precise regulations, effective communication and engagement, coordinated monitoring and enforcement actions, and awareness of—and ability to counter— disruptive tobacco industry interference.
TOBACCO Control Implementation and Enforcement. The Union, [s.l.], May, 2022. 4p.
Caused by a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), COVID-19 is an infectious disease that was first identified by the World Health Organization in late December 2019. There is significant range on the COVID-19 disease spectrum—from completely asymptomatic or mild infection to advanced disease progression that results in death. Much remains to be determined about the disease—and movement along its various stages—but there is strong evidence that certain populations are particularly vulnerable to adverse consequences and that certain underlying medical conditions exacerbate it. Smokers and smoking fall into these respective categories.
COVID-19 and Tobacco. The Union, [s.l.], May, 2022. 2p
Electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products (HTPs) are very different, but both are considered “novel products”; the tobacco industry sometimes calls e-cigarettes and HTPs “next generation products” (NGPs) and frequently alleges that they are safer than combustible cigarettes.1 Both products have actually been around for some time: e-cigarettes were created in 2003 by Chinese pharmacist Hon Lik, and HTPs were invented in the 1980s...
NOVEL Products, Young People, and Policy. The Union, [s.l.], May, 2022. 5p.
Novel and emerging tobacco and nicotine products—the World Health Organization labels them “undoubtedly harmful”1—will wreak significant havoc in low- and middle- income countries. Together, the particular circumstances in these countries create a perfect storm that will likely result in significant addiction, particularly among vulnerable youth. In an abundance of caution, The Union recommends comprehensive bans on these products—this includes prohibiting their sale, manufacture, importation, and exportation—as well as ensuring they are subject to TAPS (Tobacco Advertising, Promotion and Sponsorship) bans and SF (smoke-free) legislation.
E-CIGARETTES, Heated Tobacco Products, and the Need for Bans in LMICs. The Union, [s.l.], May, 2022. 4p.
Tobacco Vendor Licensing (TVL) reduces tobacco product availability and accessibility, particularly to vulnerable youth. A key tobacco control measure, TVL can limit tobacco retailer density around schools, parks, and hospitals; this is critically important because vendor abundance normalizes tobacco use, increases exposure to tobacco advertisements, and thwarts quit efforts. TVL can also restrict the types of products sold alongside tobacco and ensures inspectors know where products are sold, allowing for more effective enforcement of all point-of-sale tobacco laws.
TOBACCO Vendor Licensing. The Union, [s.l.], May, 2022. 2p.