File #5

Sponsorship and Philanthropy

The tobacco industry's self-interested generosity in Switzerland

Taking advantage of permissive legislation, the tobacco industry has forged many partnerships with cultural and social organisations in Switzerland. Theatres, museums, humanitarian and environmental associations receive donations that appear to be offered generously and without counterpart.

This dossier reveals the faux-semblants and strategy behind these ‘philanthropic’ activities. While cigarette companies claim that their aim is disinterested support for the communities in which they operate, their internal documents and the scientific literature show that they are in fact reaping major benefits in terms of image, access to legislators and standardisation. These phenomena represent obstacles that are incompatible with public health.

It is time for Switzerland to implement the measures recommended by the WHO and ban these practices.

Hugo Molineaux

Scientific collaborator OxySuisse

Report OxySuisse #5

Briefing paper

Self-Interested Generosity : how support for cultural and social organisations serves the commercial interests of the tobacco industry

In 2023, Switzerland ranked second to last out of 90 countries on the Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index, revealing its vulnerability to the industry's influence. One of the methods used by tobacco companies to exert this influence in Switzerland is by providing financial support to various cultural and social projects. Whilst some of this funding offers visible and direct benefits to the industry, such as the opportunity to sell and promote products at music festivals, a significant proportion of these financial contributions appear to be purely philanthropic.

Download PDF See the briefing paper

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Entre prévention défaillante et mécénat controversé

Vingt ans après avoir signé la Convention-cadre de l’OMS pour la lutte antitabac, la Suisse n’a pas ratifié ce traité et reste en retard sur la prévention. Sous l’influence des cigarettiers, le pays privilégie les intérêts économiques, avec des mesures jugées insuffisantes, tandis que 20 000 jeunes tombent chaque année dans l’addiction. Hugo Molineaux, chercheur pour OxySuisse, était notre invité.

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Dossier #5

Tabakindustrie spendet Millionen für Schweizer Hilfswerke

Die Tabakindustrie spendet Millionen an Hilfswerke. Auch verschiedene Rotkreuz-Organisationen haben über Jahre Geld von Tabakfirmen angenommen – und das, obwohl das Rote Kreuz auch eine Gesundheitsorganisation ist. Erst 2021 hat der Rotkreuz-Rat entschieden, keine Tabak-Spenden mehr anzunehmen.

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Dossier #5

Tabakkonzern tanzt Behörden auf der Nase herum

Im Wallis dürfen Tabakfirmen keine Musikfestivals sponsern. Trotzdem war British American Tobacco am Caprices Festival präsent. Die Beobachter-Recherche zeigt die Hintergründe.

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Human rights and global tobacco control

According to the World Health Organization ( WHO ), tobacco kills nearly six million people a year, including more than 600,000 non-smokers exposed to second-hand smoke.

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10 Things to Know about Big Tobacco’s Arts Sponsorship

If you ever find yourself browsing the galleries at the British Museum in London, or wandering the halls of the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, you might find it surprising that the art you’re admiring is sponsored in part by an industry that causes 8 million deaths every year.

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Dossier #5

New report exposes tobacco industry’s fake charity in ASEAN

Bangkok, 29 April 2024 – The tobacco industry is using corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities as a tactical smokescreen to clean its tarnished public image and distract the public from its deadly and harmful business, according to the report, “Lifting the Veil of Tobacco Industry’s Corporate Charity in ASEAN” by the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA). The report examines the detrimental impact of the industry’s CSR activities on public health policy.

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Dossier #5

Museum Malignancy Tobacco Industry Sponsorship of the Arts

“The opioid crisis is horrific. It has been estimated that prescription opioids have killed more than more than 200,000 Americans and 47,000 lives are expected to be lost in 2019 due to opioid addiction. No similar outrage has been expressed by artists, health organizations or the public at the most dominant corporate sponsor of the arts in the United States over the past 60 years, Altria, the parent company of Philip Morris and makers of the top-selling cigarette brand Marlboro.”

-Alan Blum, MD

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Dossier #5

Tobacco Tactics : Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) refers to voluntary corporate action that claims to act in the public interest by prioritising social goals rather than being solely profit-driven.