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Elton Manguwo
ON the backdrop of growing global calls for tobacco growers and other value-chain actors to adopt sustainable practices for tobacco production, Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE) listed tobacco processing concern, British American Tobacco (BAT) has revealed plans to restructure its production processes towards more climate smart methods.
In a statement the company’s Chairman Mr Lovemore Manatsa said the group remained consistent in ensuring that tobacco farming remains sustainable amid growing threats from climate change that are rocking the agriculture sector.
“The company continues to implement various afforestation programmes towards preserving the natural environment, improve livelihoods and bio-diversity, as sustainability is central to the global BAT Group’s evolved strategy,” said Mr Manatsa.
BAT and its subsidiaries manufacture and distribute cigarettes to a network of wholesalers and retailers. The group has a cigarette manufacturing company that solely sales to the Zimbabwean market while it exports cut rag tobacco.
With activists continuously lobbying for the abolishment of tobacco production, environmentally smart production is key in ensuring production continues.
“The global company’s sustainability agenda reflects its commitment to reducing the health impact of its products through offering a greater choice of enjoyable less risky products for consumers,” said Mr Manatsa.
Additionally, BAT’s strategy has a clear focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) priorities that include addressing climate change, managing natural resources, waste reduction, supporting sustainable farmer livelihoods and building the resilience of rural communities.
The BAT Zimbabwe group is currently seeking to obtain the alliance for water stewardship (AWS) certification for 2023/24.
The group continues with its push to acquire the water stewardship, increasing water recycling from 10 percent to 18 percent. These and other initiatives to reduce water consumption have led to a drop of 17 percent in water usage in 2022 compared to 2021,” said Mr Manatsa.
The company further seeks to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by conducting a factory site renewable energy study to identify new energy sources like solar that will continue the drive to carbon neutrality.
“Our drive to reduce energy usage together with carbon dioxide emissions led to a drop of 2, 2 percent in absolute energy usage in 2022 compared to 2021. Despite the drop in absolute usage our specific energy was negatively affected going up by 7 percent driven by power unreliability from the grid, which led to the factory relying more on generators with increased diesel usage,” said Mr Manatsa.
In Zimbabwe, the group strives look for new ways to preserve the natural environment and respond to climate change as the focus area.
Online Reporter