What Is the Tobacco Transformation Index?

The Index is a tool to accelerate the necessary transformation of the global tobacco industry for the benefit of public health. By monitoring and critically evaluating tobacco companies’ behavior, including actions that either support or impede tobacco harm reduction, the Index provides objective, transparent information to all stakeholders and incentivizes companies to act more quickly and responsibly than they otherwise would.

Why Is the Index Needed?

The global effort to curtail and address the health impacts of tobacco use – particularly smoking – has made material progress in recent decades, especially in developed countries. However, globally, more than a billion people still smoke, and more than eight million people die prematurely every year due to tobacco use.

The Tobacco Transformation Index seeks to accelerate progress by encouraging the tobacco industry to reduce the harm caused by tobacco use, beginning with the elimination of its highest risk products.

How Will the Index Work?

Every two years, the Index will rank the world’s 15 largest tobacco companies, accounting for approximately 85% of global cigarette volume, on their relative progress in supporting harm reduction. This ranking and supporting analyses will help stimulate innovation and competition among the companies and equip all stakeholders with valuable information for understanding and engaging with the companies to drive change.

The Index will also be supplemented by Country Fact Sheets profiling relevant policy and related conditions in 36 markets, accounting for approximately 85% of current global sales and consumption of tobacco products. The objective of the Country Fact Sheets is to help contextualize and, over time, more deeply analyze companies’ relevant activities in these markets.

The Index draws on the example set by similar tools, which have helped increase awareness and drive corporate action on key topics affecting their target industries.