The solution: Delivering proof over promises
Transformation at PMI doesn’t begin with messaging; it begins with measurable change. As Chief Sustainability Officer, Motles understands that rebuilding trust means actions speak louder than words, so leading with substance, not slogans, is key.
At the heart of PMI’s strategy is a bold sense of purpose: to advance tobacco harm reduction and maximize the benefits that smoke-free products can bring to public health. These smoke-free products are not risk-free and contain nicotine, which is addictive. However, scientific evidence shows they are a better option for adults than continuing to smoke. Between 2008 and 2024, the company had already invested more than $14.0bn in the research, development, and rollout of smoke-free products, including IQOS, which heats tobacco instead of burning it. As of 2024, PMI smoke-free products are available in 95 markets, and the company aspires to generate over two-thirds of its total net revenue from smoke-free alternatives by 2030.
But for PMI, product innovation is only part of the solution. What matters just as much is accountability: making transformation transparent, measurable, and verifiable. That’s why PMI has developed a set of business transformation metrics that track the company’s progress against its smoke-free vision. The metrics are assured by third parties, with clear, published methodologies; a move that signals openness to scrutiny, even when progress is not linear.
“Transformation and sustainability for us are the same thing; they aren’t a separate team or department, it’s how we operate now,” Motles says. PMI has embedded sustainability into core business functions: from supply chain and product development to investor relations and marketing. The company also worked to align incentive structures, refining its Sustainability Index and ensuring that sustainability performance is part of how leaders are evaluated and rewarded. This is not about parallel reporting, but about integrating transformation into decision-making.
Internally, PMI is reshaping its culture to match its ambition. Through dedicated training programs and cross-functional initiatives, employees across levels are empowered to challenge conventional thinking and drive for impact. Forums and internal platforms enable teams to break down silos, share best practices and innovations – from product design to responsible marketing – while leadership development programs now reflect the company’s broader sustainability goals.
Externally, PMI seeks to engage all its stakeholders as it understands that the only way to achieve systemic change is through multistakeholder dialogue and action, not through working in silos. PMI engages actively with regulators, public health experts, consumers, civil society – including its most severe critics – to advocate for science-based frameworks around tobacco harm reduction. It continues to push for risk-proportionate regulatory frameworks that facilitate the transition of adult smokers to smoke-free products.
PMI has also launched platforms like pmiscience.com, a dedicated website where its science and data are available to the public. It gives researchers and the public access to an overview of the company’s scientific approach, methodologies, and research findings from toxicology, clinical, and behavioral studies. This openness is essential to shifting perception – not just of the company, but of what a smoke-free future can realistically look like.
Historically, many human studies conflate nicotine’s effects with those of cigarette smoke, but public health experts widely accept that nicotine itself is not the primary cause of smoking-related health harms, though it is addictive. PMI aims to further scientific understanding of nicotine’s health effects in isolation, separate from the harms of smoking, to contribute to more accurate health information and harm reduction strategies. “Some smoke-free products have been on the market for over 10 years,” Motles says. “There is an increasing need to understand the health effects of nicotine detached from smoking.”
PMI is building a different future through innovation, performance, and transparency. Making cigarettes obsolete is not just about switching products but transforming the entire value chain and the way to engage with society – achieving a complete paradigm shift. The company’s ability to lead this industry-wide transformation rests on consistently demonstrating real impact and change, not merely on innovation speed.