British American Tobacco Belgium - Our approach

Responsible marketing

We believe in upholding high standards of corporate behavior. We agree that the tobacco industry should be regulated, but we also think we should be able to communicate in a responsible way with adult consumers about our tobacco products.

For a business like ours, it is imperative that we provide clear and meaningful information about the different risk profiles of our products to help consumers make informed choices. Ensuring we market our products responsibly to adult consumers only is also crucial.

We direct our marketing activities in accordance with global principles, which we believe are at the heart of responsible tobacco marketing. Our core beliefs on this subject are:

1. We will not mislead about the risks of smoking.
2. We will only market our products to adult smokers.
3. We will not seek to influence the consumer’s decision about whether or not to smoke, or how much to smoke.
4. It should always be clear to our consumers that our advertising originates from a tobacco company and that it is intended to promote the sale of our tobacco brands.

International Marketing Principles (472 kb) 

Marketing in Belgium

The Belgian government has stringent legislation in place which heavily restricts the advertising and sponsoring of tobacco products, products based on tobacco and similar products. We always strive to be fully compliant with the regulatory framework and local legislation.

Regulation

Our experience and expertise mean that we have much to offer to governments and regulators when it comes to helping develop policies.

We believe that when new regulations are being developed, decisions need to be based on thorough research and open consultation with those likely to be affected, including the tobacco industry.

We would like to see effective, evidence-based regulation that meets public-health objectives but does not impede our ability to compete, respects our legal rights and does not damage retailers.

We are transparent about what we think, supporting some new proposals but disagreeing with others. When we do not agree with proposed regulations, we try to be constructive and put forward alternatives that can still achieve the government’s regulatory aims and public health objectives.