Philip Morris is accelerating its path to eliminate cigarettes from the market, doing so with the Italian subsidiary of the group at the forefront since our country was chosen as a “case study” related to new industrial strategies connected to a future in which “cigarettes will end up in museums,” promised Pasquale Frega, president and CEO of PMI. “Several years ago,” explained the CEO, “we made a decision that seemed bold: to bring cigarettes to the museum. In Italy, four and a half million people have already abandoned them for their alternatives.”
THE REVIEW OF THE INDUSTRIAL PIVOT WITH ACCELERATION
A true industrial pivot that now reaches its natural review, with an acceleration explained again by the top manager: “After 10 years since the beginning of this path, an update: we intend to contribute to eliminating cigarettes from this country by 2035,” illustrated Frega, recalling the deep connection between the company and the Italian primary sector: “PMI has the ambition to support the national ecosystem, boasting a supply chain of 8,000 companies employing 44,000 people.”
16 BILLION INVESTED
Echoing him is Daniela Della Monica, Head of Smoke-Free Products Category at Philip Morris Italy: “Ten years ago we had the courage to change the heart of the company, a bold act, shared with shareholders, that requires a long-term vision. This path,” she detailed, “required a total investment of 16 billion and involved over 1,500 experts including scientists and engineers to implement this transformation that has affected every corporate function.”
On the day of the launch of a new hi-tech combustion-free product, the PMI manager recalls that such devices “are available in over 100 countries” while “27 markets have exceeded the threshold of 50 percent of net revenue derived from these products” and as of December 31 last year worldwide “Philip Morris device users numbered over 43 million.” Della Monica then recalled that, regarding the company, “41.5 percent of our global revenues now come” from “smoke-free products.”
ITALY CASE HISTORY FOR ALL OF EUROPE
“Consumer consumption and needs,” added Della Monica, “are evolving; for us, it is important to intercept their needs and understand the difficulties users face especially when they cannot quit smoking. But everything starts from the consumer, we limit ourselves to guiding them with responsible communication, without attractive messages.”
Zooming out to the rest of the Old Continent, Stavros Drakoularakos, Director Communications Europe of Philip Morris, explained: “For us, Italy constitutes an important case study thanks to its 4.5 million people who have quit smoking by switching to alternative devices. At the European level, much can be learned from what is happening in this country in its journey to retire cigarettes.
Europe,” he added, “must be responsible towards the millions of citizens who still smoke and cannot quit. As both Mario Draghi and Enrico Letta have said, Brussels must invest in technology and science to be competitive. We play our role and ask the same from the European legislator: clear regulations for alternatives that allow quitting smoking.”
