“Sweden was one of the first countries in the world to take a different approach to combating tobacco smoke – and it turned out to be the right approach, as the country is on its way to becoming the first smoke-free country in Europe,” said Patrik Hildingsson, vice president for communications and corporate affairs of Swedish Match, the world’s largest manufacturer of oral nicotine products, at the ReThink: Learning from Sweden conference organized by Philip Morris in Belgrade
“Back in the 70s in Sweden, we started to return to our tradition – oral nicotine products like snus, and later nicotine pouches. This helped us reduce the smoking rate to around 5%, which is the lowest rate in Europe. More importantly , we have by far the lowest incidence rates of smoking-related diseases, including oral cancers and lung cancer,” added Hildingsson, emphasizing the importance of alternative products in the fight against smoking.
The example of Sweden is not only an exception but also an inspiration for other countries that face challenges in the fight against smoking. This was exactly the main message of Tommaso Di Giovanni, vice president for international communications of Philip Morris International (PMI).
“In order for this practice to have a strong positive impact on global public health, innovative policies are needed, which encourage smokers who do not want to give up nicotine to switch to better alternatives to cigarettes, and companies to invest in further development of these products,” Dee said. Giovanni pointed out that the industry is there to initiate changes, but all other interested actors should follow it – regulators, health and non-governmental organizations, the scientific community.
Di Giovanni also cited examples of countries such as Japan, New Zealand and Sweden, which in a period of eight years halved the number of smokers. “On the example of these countries, it was shown that traditional measures in the fight against tobacco smoke based on bans are not so effective, but that the application of the principle of harm reduction, which is based on the acceptance of scientifically proven less harmful alternatives, led to a significant decrease in the number of smokers,” he added.
The speakers also emphasized the importance of the certification of reduced-risk products by world-renowned health institutions. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized, based on numerous scientific studies, in 2019, and this year confirmed the authorization of the claim that by using the leading snus brand produced by Swedish Match instead of cigarettes, users expose themselves to a lower risk of a large number of diseases associated with with smoking. The FDA made this decision based on its principle that informing consumers and making this product available on the market is consistent with the promotion of public health.
With the acquisition of Swedish Match, the Philip Morris company expanded its portfolio to this product category as well, focusing primarily on nicotine pouches, in order to offer adult smokers a replacement for, until 10 years ago, its main product – cigarettes.
This is exactly the way for the company to remain relevant in an ultra-turbulent time, said the world-renowned futurologist from Sweden, Magnus Lindkvist, emphasizing that innovation is the X factor that changes the future and makes it difficult to predict.
“Nothing great will happen if you don’t play around and take risks.” Discover specific and interesting situations that you can change. Look for solutions to current problems, be relevant, not perfect,” said Lindkvist.