Commitment:

• We will engage with tobacco and other relevant industry bodies to explain our position and to persuade these bodies to adopt a similar stance.

Action resulting from the Commitment

We have developed a common position within the framework of CECCM (Confederation of European Community Cigarette Manufacturers), which is aligned with British American Tobacco's view that public place smoking regulation should be supported, but needs to balance the interests of non-smokers and smokers. This position was also taken up by other European and national tobacco industry associations and subsequently reflected in their submissions to the consultation launched via the Green Paper "Towards a Europe free from tobacco smoke: policy options at EU level".

Commitment:

• We will meet with as many stakeholders as possible to seek their views on our position.
  
  

Action resulting from the Commitment

We have presented our position to EU officials and discussed it with several members of the European Parliament. We have also shared it with a number of trade associations. In addition, national tobacco trade associations and individual tobacco companies shared this position during engagement with various member state governments. In general our position was seen to advocate a fair and balanced approach.

Related document : CECCM Response to European Commission Green Paper 'Towards a Europe free from tobacco smoke: policy options at EU level'

Commitment:

• We will seek actively to engage in the Commission-proposed EU Platform on smoking in public places issues if this forum is established.

Action resulting from the Commitment

As yet an EU platform on smoking in public places has not been created. However, we remain available to contribute to such an initiative in the future and will also monitor the establishment of other relevant platforms with a view to offering our input if appropriate.

Commitment:

• Should the outcome of the consultation on the Green Paper be a Council Recommendation which is broadly in line with the British American Tobacco position, we will engage in member states where we operate to advocate binding legislation enforcing the Recommendation.

Action resulting from the Commitment

On 30 November 2009, the Council adopted a Recommendation on Smoke-free Environments, which invites EU Member States to implement wide-reaching smoking bans in public places and workplaces.

British American Tobacco fully supports regulation that limits non-smokers’ involuntary exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and, at the same time, accommodates the interests of both non-smokers and smokers. We believe that smoking bans with exemptions are the most effective way of achieving public policy goals while respecting the legitimate interests of all stakeholders.

Commitment:

• On the EU social reporting website we will add a link to our global BAT website, and also a link to the European Commission's Green Paper on smoke free environments which includes a comprehensive reference list on scientific research and other issues relating to smoking in public places.

Action resulting from the Commitment

Please refer to the following links to access the above-mentioned information:
http://www.bat.com/
http://ec.europa.eu/health/

Further research material which may be of interest in particular to the scientific community is also available at http://www.bat-science.com.

Commitment:

• We will ensure the transparency about the source of any data we quote when discussing the PPS issue in Europe.
  
  

Action resulting from the Commitment

Special attention is being paid to ensure that whenever data is quoted (externally as well as internally) the source is attributed.

Commitment:

• We will examine all relevant sources of information regarding the research conducted to assess the impact of PPS bans on the economy. A representative selection of available reports (or links to such research results) will be placed on our EU social reporting website in the relevant section.

Action resulting from the Commitment

Links to a selection of studies on impacts of smoking bans are provided below.

• "Short Run Economic effects of the Scottish Smoking Ban"
  Source: Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Epidemiological Association
  Read more



• "Smoke-Free Policies: Market Research and Literature Review on Economic Effects on the Hospitality Sector"
  Commissioned by the Office of Tobacco Control
  Read more



• "The Effects of Taxes and Bans on Passive Smoking"
  Source: The Institute for Fiscal Studies - Department of Economics - University College London
  Read more



• "The Food Services and Hospitality sector and A Metro Toronto Smoking Ban - An Analysis of Economic Consequences"
  Source: CCG Consulting Group, Vancouver B.C.
  Read more



• "The Economic Impact of the New York State Smoking Ban on New York's Bars"
  Prepared for the New York Nightlife Association and Empire State Restaurant and Tavern Association (May 12, 2004) by REA (Ridgewood Economic Associates, Ltd.)
  Read more



• "The Economic Impact of Smoke-Free Legislation on the Hospitality Industry"
  Prepared For: Health Canada
  Prepared By: Ms. Rita Luk, MA, Ontario Tobacco Research Unit, University of Toronto; Roberta Ferrence, PhD, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada
  This report was commissioned and funded by the Tobacco Control Programme, Health Canada. Final Report March 2005
  Read more



• "The Smoke is Clearing: Anniversary Report 2005. Initial data on the impact of the Smoke-free Environments law change since 10 December 2004"
  Published in December 2005 by the Ministry of Health, PO Box 5013, Wellington, New Zealand
  Read more



• "Smoke-free bars and restaurants in Norway"
  Prepared by Marianne Lund, SIRUS
  Read more



• "Summary of Studies Assessing the Economic Impact of Smoke-Free Policies in the Hospitality Industry" - includes studies produced to 31 January 2008
  Produced by Michelle Scollo and Anita Lal, VicHealth Centre for Tobacco Control, Melbourne, Australia February 2008
  Read more

Commitment:

• Continue to collate data and undertake research so as to have a broad understanding of the impact of smoking restrictions.

Action resulting from the Commitment

The differing outcomes of studies on the impact of smoking restrictions do not help to create clarity for the wider public. Also, when research is commissioned by the tobacco industry itself, the findings tend to be viewed with scepticism by external stakeholders. To address these dilemmas we have asked an external research institute to develop a standard framework for research on the economic and social impacts of public place smoking bans and/or restrictions. This framework specifies how such research should be conducted in order to ensure that results are robust, comparable and widely accepted (please also refer to Commitment 10 in this context). We are happy to share this work with interested stakeholders and will also organise a workshop for an expert review of the framework.

Commitment:

• Publish the Scottish filter study on the EU social reporting website when it is complete in 2008.
  
  

Action resulting from the Commitment

The Scottish filter study has been finalised and submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. In brief, the study concludes that:

• smoking outdoors at public venues, as a result of the PPS ban in Scotland, did not increase smoking intensity; and
• any changes in smoking behaviour that may have occurred had little effect on mainstream smoke exposure or cigarette consumption for those that continued to smoke.

While awaiting publication of the full study, an abstract can be accessed by clicking on the following link: http://www.srnt.org/meeting/eu/08_europe.html

Commitment:

• British American Tobacco is willing to work with other stakeholders to introduce a standard framework, and we believe that the wide platform process mentioned in the Green Paper would provide the ideal forum to discuss this and other issues. If the wide platform is not in place by the end of 2007, we will invite other stakeholders to work on the development of such a framework.

Action resulting from the Commitment

The platform announced in the Green Paper and referred to above has not yet been created by the European Commission. We continue to monitor the establishment of this and other relevant platforms and remain available to contribute to such initiatives.

In the absence of a platform, and to progress with the development of a standard framework for collecting data on the impact of smoking restrictions, we have asked an external research institute to develop a standard framework for research on the economic and social impacts of public place smoking bans and/or restrictions. This framework specifies how such research should be conducted in order to ensure that results are robust, comparable and widely accepted.

In 2009 the research institute conducted a literature review and then proceeded with the identification of a set of working rules which define a standard framework. We are happy to share the research work more widely with interested stakeholders and will organise a workshop to enable an expert review of this standard framework. In addition, application of this standard framework to a concrete case is foreseen with the precise timeline yet to be defined.

Commitment:

• British American Tobacco will continue to invest in ventilation in Horeca outlets in the EU, provided that regulation allows for smoking in some internal part of the outlets.

Action resulting from the Commitment

Further to work done in Belgium, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and the UK, ventilation projects also commenced in Albania, Austria, Germany, Italy, Serbia, Spain and Switzerland. Our investments primarily focused on selected HoReCa establishments, but investments in smoking lounges at airports and in our own offices were also undertaken.

Commitment:

• We will be happy to share our knowledge and experience of ventilation and air quality standards as part of the Green Paper wide platform process. We will also share our knowledge and expertise on ventilation and air quality standards through the website feedback and contact forms - subject to specific stakeholders’ questions and requests received via the website.

Action resulting from the Commitment

As the platform on public place smoking considered in the Green Paper has not yet been created, we did not have the opportunity to widely share our knowledge and participate in the wider debate on ventilation and air quality standards. However, we are ready to share our knowledge and experiences on the issue with relevant parties on other appropriate occasions as well as reply to stakeholders’ questions and requests received via the website.

References of a selection of of ventilation studies are provided below:

• Ventilation Reference - Ventilation performance for spaces where smoking is permitted: a review of previous work and field study results
  AJ Geensa, DG Snelsona, JR Littlewood, J Ryana
  Building Serv. Eng. Res. Technol. 27,3 (2006) pp. 235-248
  
  
• Ventilation Reference - Environmental Tobacco Smoke in the Nonsmoking Section of a Restaurant: A Case Study
  Roger A. Jenkins,
  Chemical and Analytical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-6120
  Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology 34, 2001), pp. 213–220
  
  
• Ventilation reference - Environmental tobacco smoke monitoring in Toronto restaurants and bars
  Report prepared by: Stantec Consulting Ltd., July 2004
  
  
• Ventilation Reference - Indoor air quality monitoring Bellagio Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada
  Theodor Sterling Associates, December 1999
  
  
• Ventilation Reference - Indoor air quality and ventilation case study of hospitality venues in the United Kingdom
  Theodor Sterling Associates, May 2007
  
  
• Ventilation Reference - Onderzoek naar de mogelijke reductie aan omgevingstabaksrook in de dagelijkse praktijk van de horeca
  W.F. de Gids, P. Jacobs, TNO Bouw en Ondergrond, March 2006
  
  
• Ventilation Reference - Decentralised smoke displacement system using recirculation and filtration
  P. Jacobs, P. de Jong, W.F. de Gids, TNO Built Environment and Geosciences, April 2006

Commitment:

• By the end of 2007 we will post on the EU social reporting website details of the test outlets, subject to their permission, and test results recorded to date in the EU.

Action resulting from the Commitment

The research we commissioned in this field centered on putting in place ventilation systems in real life situations such as bars and restaurants and then measuring the reduction in the levels of selected contaminants.

The first round of studies provided us with important learnings on the design and installation of ventilation systems. Once design improvements were made we commissioned a second round of studies which demonstrated that the use of a properly designed ventilation system can keep the measured contaminants well within relevant workplace exposure limits as set by respected standards bodies such as OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and HSE (Health and Safety Executive). The studies were primarily conducted by the University of Glamorgan in cooperation with CR Consulting in countries such as Belgium, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom and can be accessed below:

Belgium

• Ventilation Effectiveness Study at Le Depot Bar, Brussels
• Ventilation Effectiveness Study at Le Fair Play Restaurant, Brussels
• Ventilation Effectiveness Study at The Hairy Canary Irish Pub, Brussels

Czech Republic

• UG Report - Café Café
• UG Report - Café Erra

The Netherlands

• TNO report 2006-D-R0198(E)/A
  An investigation into the possible reduction in Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) in the day-to-day operations of the hospitality industry.

UK

• Ventilation and Filtration Unit Effectiveness Study at The Bakers Arms, Waddesdon
• Ventilation Effectiveness Study (Phase II) at The Duke of York, Hounslow
• Ventilation Effectiveness Study at The Ivy House, Chalfont St. Giles
• Ventilation Effectiveness Study at St. Stephens Tavern, Westminster
• Ventilation Effectiveness Study at The Speaker Public House, Westminster

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