Imperial Brands’ Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Deborah Binks-Moore has called on the global tobacco and nicotine industry to “look outwards” and take inspiration from other sectors as it navigates the next stage of transformation towards harm reduction.
Speaking at this year’s Global Tobacco & Nicotine Forum (GTNF) in Brussels, Binks-Moore said collaboration and consumer-centricity would be key to sustaining progress in reducing the harm caused by smoking.
“While I am optimistic about our future, I have also been observing how our very success is now creating fresh challenges, which will require equally fresh thinking,” Deborah told the audience in Brussels.
Regulatory and reputational challenges
Binks-Moore highlighted that the rapid growth of next generation products (NGPs) has intensified political scrutiny, media attention and regulatory pressure, while innovation designed for adult smokers can sometimes attract unintended users. She also noted that rogue manufacturers and illicit trade continue to undermine responsible players in the category.
“Policymakers in the EU and many other parts of the world are rightly weighing up how to respond to this changed landscape,” she said. “I am optimistic we can stay on the path of responsible growth and a sustainable transition towards harm reduction – but only if we heed lessons from other industries.”
Learning from ecommerce and energy
Drawing on her previous experience in ecommerce and oil and gas, Binks-Moore compared the sector’s current challenges with other industries that have undergone rapid transformation. She cited the EU’s Digital Services Act as an example of how inclusive, long-term policymaking can help regulate innovation effectively.
“To build enforceable, sustainable frameworks, policymakers and regulators need to follow this inclusive, collaborative, fact-based and principles-led approach,” she said.
She also warned against “big stick” approaches, such as punitive pricing, that can drive consumers towards illicit markets – drawing parallels between energy transition policies and tobacco regulation.
“Motorists, householders and smokers are all informed consumers and active citizens,” she said. “The big stick approach is rarely an effective way to change behaviour in the long term.”
Consumer-first growth strategy
Outlining Imperial Brands’ refreshed 2030 strategy, Binks-Moore said the company aims to grow its NGP business by staying close to consumer needs.
“Like our peers in oil and gas, it is only by listening closely to our consumers that we will both win commercially and maximise our positive impact,” she said. “We know this bright future is only possible if all of us in this industry learn the right lessons from the world around us.”