Pakistan Tobacco Company - Our Business Principles

Pakistan Tobacco Company Limited is a commercial enterprise and our primary role is to build long term shareholder value by meeting consumers’ preferences for high-quality tobacco products. However, we believe that by absorbing and balancing a wider range of expectations, we are best placed to continue building a sustainable tobacco business.

Like other multinational enterprises benefiting from economic globalisation, British American Tobacco also faces increasing demands to be more transparent and to demonstrate high standards of corporate conduct that might in the past have been taken on trust. In today’s rapidly changing world, large and successful businesses can be perceived as powerful and self-interested and can face barriers to trust. As a tobacco business, the Group can face more than others. In addressing these, a further challenge is that major enterprises like British American Tobacco often encounter varying and at times conflicting stakeholder expectations in different countries and cultures.

To help meet these challenges and following on a commitment made in the first British American Tobacco p.l.c. Social Report 2001/02, the Group has developed these Business Principles in consultation with managers from their businesses, as well as with external stakeholders. The Business Principles and Core Beliefs cover the key issues that underpin Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for a multinational business and, particularly, given the unique characteristics of a tobacco business.

There are three Business Principles: Mutual Benefit, Responsible Product Stewardship and Good Corporate Conduct, each of which is supported by a number of Core Beliefs, which explain what we think the principle means in more detail. Together, these form the basis on which we run our business in terms of responsibility.

Mutual Benefit

The principle of Mutual Benefit is the basis on which we build our relationships with our stakeholders. We are primarily in business to build long term shareholder value and we believe the best way to do this is to seek to understand and take account of the needs of all our stakeholders.

Core Beliefs

•  We believe in creating long term shareholder value.
•  We believe in engaging constructively with our stakeholders.
•  We believe in creating inspiring working environments for our people.
•  We believe in adding value to the communities in which we operate.
•  We believe that suppliers and other business partners should have the opportunity to benefit from their relationship with us.

Responsible Product Stewardship

The principle of Responsible Product Stewardship is the basis on which we meet consumer demand for a legal product that is a cause of serious diseases. Therefore, our products and brands should be developed, manufactured and marketed in a responsible manner. We also aspire to develop tobacco products with critical mass appeal that will, over time, be recognised by scientific and regulatory authorities as posing substantially reduced risks to health.

Core Beliefs

•  We believe in the provision of accurate, clear health messages about the risks of tobacco consumption.
•  We believe the health impact of tobacco consumption should be reduced whilst respecting the right of informed adults to choose the products they prefer.
•  We believe that relevant and meaningful information about our products should continue to be available.
•  We believe that underage people should not consume tobacco products.
•  We believe that our brands and products should be marketed responsibly and directed at adult consumers.
•  We believe in the appropriate taxation of tobacco products and the elimination of illicit trade.
•  We believe in regulation that balances the interests of all sections of society, including tobacco consumers and the tobacco industry.
•  We believe that public smoking should be approached in a way that balances the interests of smokers and non-smokers.

Good Corporate Conduct

The principle of Good Corporate Conduct is the basis on which our business is managed. Business success brings with it an obligation for high standards of behaviour and integrity in everything we do and wherever we operate. These standards should not be compromised for the sake of results.

Core Beliefs

•  We believe our businesses should uphold high standards of behaviour and integrity.
•  We believe that high standards of corporate social responsibility should be promoted within the tobacco industry.
•  We believe that universally recognised fundamental human rights should be respected.
•  We believe the tobacco industry should have a voice in the formation of government policies affecting it.
•  We believe in achieving world class standards of environmental performance.

Standards of Business Conduct

Click on the link below to view our SOBC:

 Standards of Business Conduct (50,905 kb) 

 Standards of Business Conduct (Urdu) (7,317 kb) 

Supplier Code of Conduct

Our Supplier Code of Conduct complements our Group Standards of Business Conduct by defining the minimum standards we expect our suppliers to adhere to in order to supply goods or services to BAT and any BAT Group company. This builds upon our long-standing commitment to operating to the highest standards of corporate conduct for both our own business operations and our wider supply chain. It also supports our continuing commitment to respect human rights and uphold international standards, including the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.

 Supplier Code of Conduct (17,445 kb) 

 Supplier Code of Conduct (Urdu) (17,624 kb)