British American Tobacco: Scope 1 and 2 Emissions Cut by 33%
CSO Donato Del Vecchio promised to “make a real difference” to wider society as British American Tobacco (BAT) published its annual report, including its sustainability performance.
Donato commented as part of the 412-page report, which revealed a 33.1% reduction in total Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions against BAT’s 2020 baseline.
All of the business’ environmental targets have either been achieved ahead of schedule or are classified as ‘on track - likely to meet target/ambition on time’, the report says.
Donato said: “Our refined corporate strategy focuses on four cross-cutting sustainability priorities: responsible leadership in new categories; create positive value in agriculture; deliver net-zero GHG emissions across our value chain; and a trusted organisation, operating with integrity.
“By delivering on these priorities, we believe we can make a real difference for other stakeholders across our business and value chain and for wider society.”
Figures highlighted in the report include:
- A 33.1% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions in 2023 and a 12.48% reduction in Scope 3 emissions in 2022
- A 28.2% reduction in waste against BAT’s 2017 baseline - beating the 2025 target of 25%
- Achieving a 39.2% reduction in water withdrawn (target 35% by 2025).
In real terms, Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions generated by BAT dropped from 495,000 tonnes in 2021 to 362,000 tonnes in 2023, the report said.
It said, ‘due to the complexity of consolidating and assuring Scope 3 data from our suppliers and value chain’, the 2023 figures would be reported one year later.
The report said BAT is continuing to ‘transition to CSRD compliance’, reporting with reference to frameworks including Global Reporting Initiative and the Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures.
Another key element of BAT’s sustainability strategy is its A Better Tomorrow programme, which seeks to switch as many smokers as possible to its smokeless products.
The report reveals its revenue from non-smoke products, including vapes, has grown from US$2.1bn in 2021 to US$3.3bn in 2023 - against a US$5bn target by 2025.
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