Philippines

Operations

In 2015, PMFTC adopted the practice of directly contracting more than 4,500 tobacco farmers. The company provides them with extensive support in all areas of tobacco-growing, including seeding, planting, curing, and drying of the leaves. PMFTC also promotes the Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) Guidelines & Assessment and best Agricultural Labor Practices (ALP) to ensure a safe working environment, standard farming techniques, and productive farm practices.

Sustainability

In a continuous effort to reduce CO₂ emissions, PMFTC invested USD 3.1 million in 2018 in a solar power plant at its manufacturing facility in Batangas. Reducing the environmental footprint of its business is a key pillar of PMI’s sustainability strategy. Using science-based innovative energies to replace conventional fuels is also aligned with its vision of a smoke-free future. Read more on our solar plant.

Addressing illicit cigarette trade

The illicit cigarette trade remains a major challenge for PMFTC and the local cigarette industry. The company fully supports and complies with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) tax stamp program, intended to ensure the correct payment of excise taxes on all cigarette packs manufactured and imported for domestic consumption. The company’s extensive campaign to fight cigarette illicit trade is in collaboration with local industry organizations, international research organizations, intellectual property experts, and government agencies.

Corporate citizenship

PMFTC commits itself to give back to communities where the company operates and where help is greatly needed. Embrace, the company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) program, currently mobilizes 15 projects in support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. These projects address livelihood, education, environment, community health, poverty alleviation, disaster preparedness, and calamity relief across the country. In 2014, PMFTC donated PHP 100 million to relief operations for the victims of super typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan). The donation was spread over two years and was coursed through the American Chamber of Commerce Philippines Foundation Inc.

PMFTC received the CSR Company of the Year 2015 award, an honor given by the Asia CEO Forum. This recognition caps the 25 other local and international honors garnered by PMFTC that year. In 2016, PMFTC was recognized by Partners in Protecting the Planet (PPP), a London-based international network of corporate social responsibility (CSR) professionals, as one of five CSR World Leaders. According to PPP, the CSR World Leaders are “caring companies that use their privileged position to help their colleagues, communities, customers, the environment and the less fortunate.”