This is seen not only in the energy industry, food industry, but also in the tobacco industry. However, for the rapid transformation to help change user behavior towards better products, the regulatory role of the government is the decisive factor.
All efforts to reduce the harm are worthy of recognition
Reducing harm is not a trendy concept but a solution that has been applied for hundreds of years to minimize the risk of harm from the most common activities. Up to now, this concept has been widely applied in life, for example wearing a helmet and wearing a seat belt while driving; using sunscreen when going out or using a diet, non-alcoholic beer, etc. But there are also areas such as smoking, the product of reducing harmful effects is more challenging. This requires the tobacco industry to make more efforts to prove its ability to reduce harm and improve the health of users and the community in general.
In addition, these enterprises also need to strengthen responsible business practices, protect the environment and the quality of life of workers.
Heat-not-burn technology is applied in heated tobacco products that have been recognized by governments of countries as well as public health organizations, including the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), to help reduce the harmful content compared to incinerated tobacco products. Philip Morris International (PMI), the group that owns this technology, is currently aiming for 100% of its smoke-free products, using their electrical equipment to be introduced to the market to accelerate the goal of a smoke-free future.
Not only minimizing the harmful effects on users, this product can also help save energy, reduce the consumption of natural resources, reduce waste and prolong the life of the product. Accordingly, the recycling rate increased from 74% in 2019 to 84% in 2020.
The PMI aims to have 100% of PMI non-smoked product users access access to the collection and recovery programs for specialty tobacco products and equipment by the end of 2025.
It is worth noting that partners that undertake the PMI recycling process are all certified with an R2, a strict certification managed by the Sustainable Electronics Recycling International - SERI. This certification covers all aspects of the electronic device recycling value chain including practices related to the environment, health and safety (HS) in the recycling area, waste treatment and traceability of raw materials and helps ensure that the PMI recycling process meets the highest possible requirements.
Eliminate prejudice with solutions to minimize harm
It is undeniable that scientific achievements allow society to have more options, especially products that reduce harm. According to the most recent surveys, 4 out of 5 Vietnamese people surveyed are willing to pay more to buy products that have a commitment to positive impacts on the environment and society. 79% are willing to pay more to buy products that do not contain ingredients they do not want. According to a recent survey by an online newspaper, more than 90% of respondents said they were interested in solutions to reduce the harmful effects of tobacco. These surveys further prove that the approach to harm reduction is the solution that society is really in need of.
Although science and technology have developed, any product needs to be applied and observed over time to evaluate its effectiveness. Similar to the field of COVID-19 vaccine production, mRNA technology is showing outstanding effectiveness, although it still needs to be evaluated and responded to by health organizations, as well as studying epidemiology before launching a better product. However, every opportunity to improve public health needs to be taken advantage of, if the delay is greater, the higher the price to pay.
It is worth mentioning that the level and speed of product completion depends not only on the efforts of the enterprise itself, but also the coordination of the government and the media in providing transparent and accurate scientific information to the community and relevant agencies so that related management decisions will truly aim to improve public health and protect the environment.
