MARCELO NICO, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF PHILIP MORRIS SA

Loading player...
Philip Morris International has recently published its fourth Sustainability Report and core to this is the company’s mission to unsmoke the world through sustainability and its business strategies. The report outlines how PMI is accelerating efforts to accomplish its mission to unsmoke the world, including its progress against a set of key business transformation metrics.
The report documents how PMI is continuing to focus considerable resources to prevent child labor and improve labor conditions throughout its value chain; scaling up its efforts toward improving inclusion and diversity; and reducing its environmental footprint through greener energy, water and litter management and the preservation of biodiversity, land and forests.

The following were among PMI’s key milestones in 2018 on the road to a sustainable, smoke-free future:
•Only four years after it was launched, PMI estimates that 6.6 million adult smokers have stopped smoking and switched to the company’s heated tobacco product IQOS.
•Smoke-free products represented 5.1 percent of shipment volume, but already 13.8 percent of net revenues. IQOS was available in 44 markets by the end of 2018. In 19 of these markets, net revenues from smoke-free products for PMI exceeded 10 percent of total net revenues, and in three markets, smoke-free products already became the biggest part of PMI’s business, exceeding 50 percent of total net revenues.
•PMI continued to shift its resources toward smoke-free products: 92 percent of its research and development investment and 60 percent of its global commercial expenditure were dedicated to smoke-free products, while seven manufacturing facilities were producing them, up from three factories in 2017.
•Playing its part in the circular economy, PMI established a centralized initiative to recycle used IQOS devices; CIRCLE (Central Inspection and Recycling for Closed Loop Economy) brings returned device recycling to the highest industry standards.
12 Jun 2019 12PM English South Africa Business News · Investing

Other recent episodes

SA Tourism returns to Pre-Pandemic Shine

South Africa welcomed 10.5 million tourists in 2025, surpassing pre‑pandemic levels for the first time. To unpack what this means for the industry, for jobs, and for South Africa’s global competitiveness, we’re joined by Thandiwe Mathibela, GM: Global PR, Communications, and Stakeholder Relations
2 Apr 5PM 12 min

Easter getaway: Five critical insurance checks

For families preparing to travel this weekend, there are a few top actions they should take to ensure their cover is valid. Understanding your obligations is as important as having a policy. We’re joined now by John Manyike, Head of Financial Education at Old Mutual, to unpack the biggest risks…
2 Apr 5PM 8 min

Pivot Point – Ramano on Transforming SA Leadership

For today’s Pivot Point feature, we’re joined by Ms. Tryphosa Ramano for a conversation about leadership, transformation, and the future of South Africa’s financial sector. We celebrate her three‑decade career defined by financial stewardship and a relentless commitment to transformation.
2 Apr 4PM 24 min

SA’s two-pot system sees repeat withdrawals

Since South Africa’s two-pot retirement system went live in September 2024, AlexForbes has now processed and paid more than one million savings-pot withdrawal claims, marking one of the largest operational undertakings in the country’s retirement industry. With more on the story behind the numbers, Vickie Lange, Head of Solutions Enhancement…
2 Apr 4PM 14 min

5 Easter scams to watch out for

RCS says holiday periods create the perfect storm: people are traveling, shopping online, and spending more time on social media—all moments when vigilance naturally drops. The company has identified six major scam types that tend to spike during school holidays, and Audrey Roberts, Customer Operations Executive at RCS, joins us…
2 Apr 4PM 12 min