Collection: Smoke-Free World

In September 2017, Philip Morris International (PMI) launched what it dubbed a “Foundation for a Smoke-Free World.” The company pledged to spend $1 billion over a 12 year period, $80 million per year, purportedly to support tobacco harm reduction by accelerating research into alternatives to cigarettes. While the company claims that the Foundation is free from PMI’s control, critics have been pointed out that the corporation maintains substantial control. incongruous slogans such as “A tobacco company that actually cares about health,” which headlined a full page Wall Street Journal advertisement in January 2019, are revealing. They also featured advertisements with the slogan: “Our New Year’s resolution – We’re trying to give up cigarettes.” It seems clear that PMI’s “unsmoke campaign” is not focused upon smoking cessation, but rather legitimizing and promoting alternative nicotine delivery system such as it IQOS product.


As PMI remains active in undermining policies intended to reduce cigarette use, many public health advocates believe that the company created the Foundation as a public relations measure to burnish its image while promoting its IQOS brand. While it should be obvious, it should be emphasized that if PMI was serious about achieving a “smoke free world,” it would halt its aggressive worldwide marketing of Marlboro and other leads cigarette brands.