Transparency and stakeholder engagement

We regularly engage with consumers, shareholders, employees, and members of wider society to understand the issues that matter to them most, and to meet their needs and expectations. This engagement is vital in helping us to make decisions that will drive long-term sustainability. Listed below are our key stakeholder groups and how we engage with them.

Customers and consumers

  • Our sales force interacts with our retailers and consumers on a day-to-day basis to better understand their needs and preferences (e.g. visiting retailers, interactive sampling of new products where legally permitted, etc.)
  • We respond to product and business enquiries from consumers through our consumer hotline service
  • Our tobacco business will make its RRP available in an increasing number of countries worldwide.

Read more about how we engage with our consumers through the hot-line service, or about our products and services.

Shareholders

  • We hold an annual general meeting every year and present our financial results to our shareholders
  • We are in regular contact with institutional shareholders to discuss the issues of concern to them

Read more about how we engage with our shareholders.

Employees

  • We have defined human capital as a combination of “our people,” “organizational culture” and “ownership”.
  • Moreover, we have set ‘6 human capital growth themes’ consisting of ‘Diversity, equity and inclusion’, ‘Talent attraction’, ‘Attractive working conditions’, ‘Health and safety’, ‘Development support’ and ‘Internal and external control’.
  • We will engage with our employees on each of the above growth themes.

Read more about how we engage with our employees or about our reporting concern mechanism.

Suppliers

  • The JT Group will screen all key suppliers against ESG criteria.
  • Our tobacco business will screen 100% of its key suppliers against environmental, social and governance criteria by 2023. The tobacco business will also implement Agricultural Labor Practices (ALP) program in all leaf-sourcing countries by 2025.

Read more about how we engage with our suppliers.
See also JT Group Sustainability Targets（Supply chain targets）

Trade associations

  • We engage with trade associations by participating in working groups and policy commissions in order to achieve a better business environment not only for us but also for other member companies

Communities

  • We support the development of inclusive and sustainable societies by voluntarily engaging with charitable organizations in the communities where we operate
  • We provide post-disaster support to local communities

Read more about how we engage with the communities in which we operate.

Non-governmental, regional, and international organizations

  • We partner with non-governmental organizations and non-profit organizations to deliver our community investment programs
  • We partner with organizations supporting the communities where we buy tobacco leaves

Read more about how we engage with the communities in which we operate, or with the tobacco leaf communities.

Governments and regulators

  • Our tobacco business will always protect its ability to participate in public policy debate with the aim to achieve balanced regulation that meets societal concern and support business growth.
  • The tobacco business will also engage in dialogue with law enforcement agencies, with the goal to exchange intelligence regarding illegal tobacco products, in order to support the reduction of these products.

See also JT Group Sustainability Targets（Governance targets）

Related links