PMI CEO Says Cigarettes Could Be Phased Out Within a Decade
In last month's sustainability report, CEO Andre Calantzopoulos said: "I firmly believe it may be possible to end cigarette sales in many countries within 10 to 15 years." He added that regulatory support would be needed to make it a reality. The maker of
CEO Andre Calantzopoulos stated in a sustainability report released last month: "I firmly believe that it is possible to completely end cigarette sales in many countries within 10 to 15 years." He added that achieving this requires the help of regulators.<\/span><\/div>
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The manufacturer of Marlboro has been stating that the company's goal is to achieve a "smoke-free future," and they are now starting to provide a specific timeline. The company has nearly one-fifth of its revenue coming from non-combustible products, such as heated tobacco devices like IQOS.<\/span><\/div>
Renowned public health and anti-smoking expert Dr. Konstantinos Farsalinos has consistently pointed out that scientific data increasingly shows that these products are much safer than regular cigarettes when discussing research on HnB products' relative risks.<\/span><\/div>
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IQOS market expansion
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PMI reported a 44.2% increase in IQOS shipments, reaching 59.7 billion units, with a 40.7% increase in the last quarter of 2019, reaching 17.1 billion units. Excluding the United States, the tobacco giant's IQOS market share grew from 1.4% to 5%. By the end of 2019, it was estimated that there were 13.6 million IQOS users, of which 9.7 million were former smokers switching to safer alternatives.<\/span><\/div>
