Protect the Environment
We're committed to reducing our environmental impact, both in our companies' direct operations and in the value chain (from supplier to retailer).
We understand the effect our companies and their products may have on our environment, including climate change, changes to water quality and availability, and cigarette butt litter; as well as the effect changes in nature have on our companies – and the associated risks for our businesses. That's why we set near-term and long-term environmental targets and regularly share progress.
"We recognize that sustainable business practices are essential for the well-being of our planet, for prosperous communities where we live and work and for the long-term success of our business.
By integrating sustainability into our operations, we enhance efficiency, reduce risks, and create value for our shareholders. With increased data and technology capabilities, our teams are empowered to more accurately mitigate risk, conserve natural resources and reduce the impact of our products and packaging."
Jody Begley, Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, Altria Group, Inc.
Our 2025 Goals
As a result of our 2020 responsibility materiality assessment, we elevated "Protect the Environment" as a focus area. Between now and 2025, Altria and its companies will:
- Manage climate change impacts and risks through science-based business practices.
- Conserve the natural resources on which our businesses and communities rely.
- Reduce the environmental impact of using our companies’ products and packaging.
In 2023, we achieved essentially all of our 2030 environmental targets ahead of schedule, and we submitted revised 2030 greenhouse gas emissions targets to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) for validation. In October 2024, we established new SBTi-approved targets, including a 2050 target for net-zero emissions.
Our Approach
Our companies are committed to reducing our businesses’ environmental impact and promoting the sustainability of natural resources. To achieve our Vision we will pursue initiatives designed to promote the long-term welfare of our company, our stakeholders, society and the environment. Our companies:- implement environmentally-sustainable practices where possible;
- conduct business in compliance with applicable environmental laws, regulations, policies and company commitments;
- understand environmental risks facing our businesses and find ways to remove or reduce these risks;
- include environmental considerations into our business processes, like product design, logistics and mergers and acquisitions;
- expect our suppliers and partners to comply with applicable environmental laws and regulations, consider environmental impacts in business decision-making and promote conservation of natural resources;
- work with stakeholders to address environmental interests and grow partnerships to promote environmental stewardship;
- report our environmental progress internally to executive leadership and maintain external reporting on air emissions, energy, waste and water; and
- create an Environmental Management Framework to guide continuous improvement.
Leadership & Processes
In 2023, we evolved our steering committee infrastructure to focus on emerging environmental regulations with impact on our 2030 targets and environmental strategy. Our current environmental steering committee leaders are focused on governance, sustainable portfolio planning and environmental integration with enterprise planning - in response to regulations such as Extended Producer Responsibility legislation. In addition, our Responsible Value Chain steering committee also has responsibility for overseeing environmental targets and progress initiatives that directly impact our value chain.
Altria’s Board of Directors’ Nominating, Corporate Governance and Social Responsibility Committee:
- provides oversight of public affairs, corporate reputation and environmental and social responsibility strategies;
- reviews key environmental trends in order to determine whether we should consider additional actions;
- considers the impact of business operations and business practices on the communities where we do business; and
- reviews environmental initiatives and goals and progress toward those goals.
Altria’s Enterprise Risk Management process contemplates a number of risk areas including environmental impacts which could pose threats to business continuity. We conducted workshops on the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) to explore specific climate change scenarios and potential impacts on our businesses. We published an initial report with these findings and subsequent progress through an annual Index. To learn more, see the latest TCFD Index.
