Natural Resource Conservation
We have a responsibility to conserve the natural resources on which our business and communities rely.
After achieving targets for waste reduction and annual water neutrality years ahead of schedule, we set new ambitious 2030 targets to uphold our commitment to protect the environment focused on water and waste in our operations. Using 2022 as a base year, our waste targets aim to reduce the waste that we generate and direct to disposal. Our water targets aim to reduce water withdrawals while maintaining 100 percent compliance with water quality permits.
Our 2025 Goal
Conserve the natural resources on which our businesses and communities rely.
2030 Targets Set in 2023
Water
Maintain 100% with water quality permits
25%
by 2030 from a 2022 base year
in the supply chain aligned with LEAP/TNFD and evaluate targets as SBTN further develops
Waste
25%
25%
by 2030 from a 2022 base year
For our value chain, we are waiting for target-setting guidance beyond climate change, such as the Science Based Targets Network (SBTN), to continue to evolve. In the meantime, we plan to further understand impacts related to water and nature aligned with the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) and their Locate, Evaluate, Assess and Prepare (LEAP) approach. Learn more about our Resource Conservation efforts and view our Supplemental Environmental Data.
We know that runoff from farmland into streams or rivers can hurt water quality. We engage in programs to promote sustainable agricultural practices among our U.S. and international tobacco growers and suppliers. In 2024, 100 percent of our domestic contracted growers participated in the Good Agricultural Practices Connections certification program towards a goal of 100 percent. And, 100 percent of our global tobacco suppliers participated in the Sustainable Tobacco Program. Both programs encourage agricultural practices to produce a quality crop while protecting, sustaining or enhancing the environment with regard to soil, water, air and biodiversity while also protecting the rights of farm laborers.
Community Water Partnerships
We partner with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) to understand how agriculture, like tobacco farming, affects watersheds.
In 2024, Altria and NFWF celebrated 14 years of partnership in water conservation, sustainable agriculture and habitat restoration in regions aligned with Altria’s agricultural value chain in the United States.
14 Years of Partnership Outcomes
15.4 billion gallons
of water conserved
1.3 million acres
of land restored
920 miles
of stream restored
Since 2010, Altria has donated over $30 million to support education and conservation projects that protect natural habitats and reduce the environmental impact of agricultural practices on local watersheds.
In 2024, Philip Morris USA wetlands treated close to 237 million gallons of water through a natural treatment system before returning it to the James River, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. We also reused nearly 122 million gallons of water through a manufacturing center water reclamation hub.
Supplier Partnership for Responsible Water Use
Altria conducts an annual comprehensive water risk assessment to examine physical, regulatory, and reputational water risks to Altria’s companies’ direct operations and their value chains.
Based on our 2024 risk assessment, several of our international tobacco growing regions and a few of our domestic growing regions were considered high risk for overall water stress. These findings helped to prioritize conversations with suppliers in water-stressed areas related to our environmental expectations. Read More