Toward sustainable tobacco sourcing: PMI partnerships in Malawi

Philip Morris International (PMI), in partnership with its third party leaf suppliers, is working in six contiguous Districts in Central and Northern Malawi to minimize the risk of deforestation where the Flue-Cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco that the company sources is cured entirely with firewood. Both as a fuel for curing and building material for barns used to cure Burley tobacco, wood from trees and forests has been an essential ingredient in the smallholder and commercial farming systems that supply PMI with tobacco. PMI has built partnerships between its third party suppliers and NGOs to develop and implement initiatives on deforestation risk mitigation. The company has also developed its sustainability portfolio and partnerships to address child labor and other labor abuses, enhance farmers’ livelihood, provide access to water, and support farmers in expanding their current agricultural production beyond tobacco to mitigate the potential decline in tobacco requirements.