PMI’s action on and continuing commitment towards a high standard of water management at its facilities has been recognized by CDP, with the environmental non-profit organization including PMI on its Water Security A List.
Back in 2017, Philip Morris International (PMI) began piloting the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) standards at its Brazilian factory. In 2018, the factory became PMI’s first to be AWS-certified. A further five sites were AWS-certified through 2019 as the company set about achieving its goal: to have all of its factories AWS-certified by 2025.
The AWS standard calls for companies to address water-related challenges at its sites, including: water governance; sustainable water balance; water quality status; water scarcity; and safe water, sanitation and hygiene for all.
The CDP recognition incentivizes us to further focus our efforts to mitigate climate change, and the scoring process will continue to inspire us and guide our progress.
The company’s water strategy accounts for the risks it faces from natural disasters, water scarcity and agricultural supply chain instability, driving action towards the responsible use of water, while taking into consideration the needs of local communities.
The certification of its factories in Italy, Portugal, Indonesia, Russia and Turkey is confirmation of the company’s continued efforts to minimize the negative impacts of its operations, something that’s particularly important as it transitions from cigarettes to smoke-free products, which require more water to produce than cigarettes.
“Our commitment to a smoke-free future has enabled us to make significant strides in our transformation into a more sustainable company,” said Laurence Ruffieux, PMI’s Director of Operations Sustainability. “We are honored to be recognized by the CDP for our work here. The CDP recognition incentivizes us to further focus our efforts to mitigate climate change, and the scoring process will continue to inspire us and guide our progress.”
Water is a shared resource. And as a steward of this resource where it operates, PMI is playing its part, by implementing good water management practices at its facilities.
