PMI has invested significantly in harm reduction and Serbia has focused a lot of its progress on innovation, says Tommaso Di Giovanni, at the Conference „Rethink: Let’s learn from Sweden“ organized by „Philip Morris“
We spoke with Tommaso Di Giovanni why the concept of harm reduction is important for civilisation and how to encourage smokers to switch to scientifically proven smoke-free products if they don’t quit nicotine altogether.
It was 10 years ago that IQOS was launched in Japan and Italy. How much easier is it today to explain to smokers, as well as to the general public, why the concept of harm reduction is so important for civilisation?
— There’s been a lot of progress among people with regard to understanding what causes diseases, why these products are a better choice and how they function. Even if I refer to Serbia, here in Belgrade, approximately 15% of smokers have adopted IQOS, but that means there’s still 85% of smokers who will either adopt competitive smoke-free products, which is ultimately a good thing, or continue to use cigarettes.
And with smoking being so commonplace, with almost 4 out of every 10 Serbian adults smoking, I think progress can still be made in terms of encouraging them to switch if they don’t quit.
PMI recently expanded its product range to include nicotine pouches. What market potential do you see for this product in Serbia?
— I think the potential is related to the fact that smokers clearly want better alternatives. And we’ve seen the rapid adoption of IQOS in Serbia, which I think is a testament to the fact that there is significant demand for better alternatives.
Globally, IQOS products have been adopted by 36 million people, 72 per cent of whom have abandoned cigarettes. There is strong demand. At the same time, we know very well that, in order to accelerate the pace of change, we need to provide a portfolio of alternatives, with several alternatives, because different consumers have different tastes.
Globally, IQOS products have been adopted by 36 million people, 72 per cent of whom have abandoned cigarettes
In countries like the UK, they would prefer e-cigarettes. In countries like Sweden, they prefer snus. In the U.S., nicotine pouches are becoming ever more popular. This is why I think, for Serbia as well, at some point, the more alternatives, the better.
What would you say to Serbian smokers who are sceptical about switching; why should they consider trying these new products?
— I think they should do it because it’s the best thing they can do if they don’t quit. That’s because the science is clear: all these products that don’t burn tobacco generate significantly lower levels of harmful compounds.
And for those who really like the sense of the experience, the ritual of a cigarette – if that’s what Serbian consumers like – heated tobacco remains the best alternative. It’s what most closely approximates a cigarette.
We had the opportunity today to hear you state that PMI has invested significantly in harm reduction. How does PMI view Serbia’s role in its long-term business strategy to advance the reduced-risk product market?
— First of all, I think that, over the last few years, Serbia has focused a lot of its progress on innovation. All the support the country is giving to start-ups, for instance, is extremely intelligent, because it’s a way to drive progress through innovation and diversity of inputs.
And I think the same can and should continue to be applied to tobacco and nicotine. PMI has recognized innovative potential of Serbia, therefore announced investment in production of smoke-free products in our factory in Niš.
Also, as I said, there’s good progress with a certain part of the population that’s already switching. But there’s still a significant segment of the population that needs to be convinced, which is probably where Serbia can even accelerate the switch, by providing even more information, encouraging change and creating an almost snowball effect, so that, 10 or 15 years from now, it could really be among the first countries to consign cigarettes to a museum.