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WHEREAS PMI acknowledges it manufacturers a product which, if used as intended, invariably
leads to sickness and/or death for its users as well as those directly impacted by its use.
The proponents of this resolution acknowledge that, while using tobacco (cigarettes,
smokeless tobacco and other such products) may be legal, their toxicity and detrimental effect on
the health of human beings demands greater ethical considerations when producing and
marketing such products, including challenging public policy efforts which, if successful, may
result in even greater use of such products by people who become addicted to them in a way that
further adds to their difficulty in stopping the use of such products.
A projected 1,000,000,000 deaths are expected this century throughout the world unless
effective tobacco control policies are adopted by nations worldwide. A nation’s right to protect
the health of its citizen’s takes precedence over any possible commercial argument justifying the
sale of such a lethal product for profit even if it is legal.
The World Assembly of the World Health Organization passed the Framework
Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in 2005 and recommended that nations adopt policies to
reduce death and disease from use of tobacco products. While PMI did not oppose the adoption
of the FCTC, it has subsequently filed complaints with the World Trade Organization on FCTC
policies adopted by independent nations such as Uruguay and Australia and lobbied legislative
bodies to weaken laws implementing the FCTC. Tobacco interests helped undermine Indonesian
legislation restricting tobacco sales to children.
Recently PMI’s marketing activities have been highlighted in the media, including its allpervasive marketing campaigns in economically developing nations such as Indonesia and The
Philippines. Many times, it is alleged, these marketing efforts include promotions attractive to
minors, including music concerts.
One program, “Sex, Lies and Cigarettes” portrays children as young as two years old
smoking PMI’s products, in part, because their mothers were addicted to the same products while
pregnant with those children. One of them, titled “The Smoking Baby,” had to be taken with his
Mother to be treated for addiction (to our Company’s cigarettes) at a residential treatment center.
For other examples, like that featured by ABC’s 20/20, entitled “From Age 2-7: Why Are
Children Smoking in Indonesia,” see http://abcnews.go.com/Health/age-children-smokingindonesia/story?id=14464140#.TrmAdWDrX6E as well as http://abcnews.go.com/Health/agechildren-smoking-indonesia/story?id=14464140#.TrmAdWDrX6E and http://www.abscbnnews.com/business/02/25/10/philip-morris-and-its-philippine-saga.
RESOLVED: Shareholders request that the Philip Morris International Board of Directors create
an independent ethics committee to review any and all future marketing efforts of PMI anywhere
in the world to ensure shareholders that all of its tobacco products and promotion do not
undermine the efforts of sovereign nations to adopt laws and practices (based on the FCTC)
meant to keep our products from illiterate people or children.
Supporting Statement
While tobacco companies have created “corporate responsibility” departments, the unethical
practices noted above seem to continue unabated. Thus the need for an independent group to
ensure PMI’s various stakeholders that our lethal product is not doing to unsuspecting people
more damage than is already being done.