Philip Morris International Celebrates the First Smoke-Free Culture Certified Island in the World
03 October 2019 - 5:00PM
Business Wire
Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) (NYSE: PM) today
celebrates Astypalea (Greece), the first Smoke-Free Culture
certified island in the world. The Greek island has successfully
built a culture where people are encouraged to remove cigarette
smoke from their lives.
The island received the Smoke-Free Culture certification from
TUV Austria, a leading independent certification organization,
recognizing their commitment to reduce cigarette smoking by
implementing and continuously improving a set of actions that
encourage quitting, which remains the best option for smokers’
health, or switching to better alternatives if they do not
quit.
TUV Austria developed the independent certification protocol in
2018. It conducts audits to verify whether an organization fulfils
the requirements defined by the protocol and, when the independent
audit is successful, awards the organization with the
certification; ensuring an objective, impartial and fully
documented assessment. The certification is available for a variety
of organizations including events, corporations and locations, for
example cities, towns, islands and other destinations.
“We are proud to support this initiative and congratulate
Astypalea on their efforts. We hope that other destinations around
the world will follow their example by embracing a smoke-free
culture,” said Frederic de Wilde, President European Union Region
at PMI.
The island embraced the smoke-free culture, including by adding
it to their visual identity and placing information boards at the
airport, port, beaches and the historic windmills area to inform
locals and visitors. In addition to ensuring that anti-smoking law
is respected, they offer information and support to adult smokers
about quitting smoking. For those adult smokers who would otherwise
continue to smoke they provide information about better
alternatives.
“The best thing smokers can do is to quit tobacco and nicotine
products entirely. However, many of them do not. Those adult
smokers who would otherwise continue to smoke should have
information about better alternatives to continued smoking,” added
Frederic de Wilde.
Burning is what generates the vast majority of the harmful
chemicals found in smoke and associated with smoking-related
diseases. Smoke-free products are not risk-free and contain
nicotine, which is addictive, but they generate significantly lower
levels of harmful chemicals than cigarettes and, when manufactured
according to appropriate quality and safety standards, are a better
choice for adult smokers than continued smoking.
With the ambition to accelerate the achievement of a smoke-free
future, Philip Morris International introduced the concept of
Smoke-Free Destinations – destinations that have, first,
successfully implemented the Smoke-Free Culture certification and,
next, that provide services and spaces that enable adult smokers
who would otherwise continue to smoke to learn about smoke-free
products like PMI’s heated tobacco product, IQOS, and to consume
these and other smoke-free products in designated areas which are
in-turn free of cigarette smoke.
About Philip Morris International: Delivering a Smoke-Free
Future
Philip Morris International (PMI) is leading a transformation in
the tobacco industry to create a smoke-free future and ultimately
replace cigarettes with smoke-free products to the benefit of
adults who would otherwise continue to smoke, society, the company
and its shareholders. PMI is a leading international tobacco
company engaged in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes,
smoke-free products and associated electronic devices and
accessories, and other nicotine-containing products in markets
outside the U.S. PMI is building a future on a new category of
smoke-free products that, while not risk-free, are a much better
choice than continuing to smoke. Through multidisciplinary
capabilities in product development, state-of-the-art facilities
and scientific substantiation, PMI aims to ensure that its
smoke-free products meet adult consumer preferences and rigorous
regulatory requirements. For more information, please visit
http://www.pmi.com and www.pmiscience.com.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191003005106/en/
For further information and assets: Bryson W. Thornton +41 (0)
58 242 4500 Bryson.Thornton@pmi.com
Anna Bodi +41 (0) 58 242 4500 Anna.Bodi@pmi.com
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