Integrity

At ITG Brands, we need to be certain that everything we do is guided by a commitment to honor the letter and spirit of the regulations under which we operate. The foundation of these commitments is defined in our Code of Conduct and each employee must take personal responsibility for abiding by our Code. Click below to access the ITG Brands’ Code of Conduct.

We expect our suppliers to conduct their business in an ethical and responsible manner and comply with all applicable laws and regulations. Our Supplier Code, based on our Code of Conduct, sets out the behaviors we expect our suppliers to demonstrate.

ITG Brands is part of an industry that is heavily regulated on both the state and federal level. We are dedicated to conducting our business in a way that is both responsible, and meets or exceeds this regulatory framework. We abide by the provisions of the Master Settlement Agreement and Food & Drug Administration regulations pertaining to tobacco. We also comply with all federal and state regulations concerning the manufacturing and marketing of tobacco products.

With the passage of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act in 2009, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration was given the authority to regulate tobacco products. This includes the development of rules and regulations relating to the manufacturing and marketing of tobacco products. The Legal and Corporate Affairs team along with the Product Integrity & Compliance team at ITG Brands work with scientists and legal consultants to assure that we fully comply with the Act and all of the regulations issued by the FDA. To link directly to the FDC website, click below.

In November 1998, various U. S. territories and 46 states settled certain litigation against the then four largest tobacco companies: Philip Morris USA Inc., Brown & Williamson, Lorillard Tobacco Group and R.J. Reynolds, and entered into a national “Master Settlement Agreement.” Under the MSA the large companies are collectively classified as the “Original Participating Manufacturers,” or the “OPMs.” Separate settlement agreements were also entered into between these same large companies and Florida, Minnesota, Mississippi and Texas.

ITG Brands and its affiliate Commonwealth Brands, Inc were never named in any lawsuit by any state. However, they voluntarily chose to join the Master Settlement Agreement as “Subsequent Participating Manufacturers” or “SPMs” even though they had not been sued. ITG Brands and Commonwealth Brands were among the first SPMs to join the Agreement. When they joined the MSA, ITG Brands and Commonwealth agreed to make certain annual payments to the MSA states based on their sales and to abide by the MSA’s advertising and marketing restrictions, which are designed to reduce youth smoking.

To date, ITG Brands and Commonwealth have paid more than $2 billion dollars to the states under the MSA, and have fully complied with all other provisions of the agreement, specifically including the restrictions on marketing and advertising. To view the complete Master Settlement Agreement, please click below.

ITG Brands is a responsible manufacturer and marketer of quality tobacco products for adult smokers. The consumption of tobacco products is an adult activity and tobacco products should not be consumed by youth. ITG Brands’ officers and employees are encouraged to identify methods to reduce youth access and the incidence of youth consumption of tobacco products. We manage our business affairs in accordance with the Master Settlement Agreement and the U.S. Food & Drug Administration regulations, and we comply fully with all applicable marketing and advertising restrictions. We are committed to comply with each and every regulatory provision and we believe that the goal of reducing youth smoking is a critical part of those agreements and regulations.

Our business is subject to specific advertising and marketing requirements based on law, industry codes, voluntary agreements and our own marketing standards. Wherever we operate we apply these standards at all times. Our marketing standards take precedence except in those rare situations where local law demands a higher standard. We also ensure that all agencies or other parties, engaged to support our marketing or promotional activities, are contractually required to comply with the local law and our marketing standards.

All operating environments and markets have defined procedures in place to ensure compliance with our marketing standards. As a responsible advertiser and marketer, we:

• Always make sure our marketing efforts are directed at an adult smoker and
  respect our advertising policy and marketing standards
• Illustrate and describe our products in a fair and honest way that will not
  mislead consumers
• Ensure all claims we make are true and can be substantiated

We do not advertise or market our products to those under 21 years old. This includes the use of images or other content which could be perceived as being attractive to minors.

WHAT WE BELIEVE

Electronic vaping products (EVPs) are for adult smokers and current EVP users only. We fully support and advocate for legislation prohibiting sales of vaping products to minors, and we voluntarily implement a number of youth protection initiatives, including online age-verification mechanisms and clear product labeling that states “not for sale to minors.”

We also employ stringent marketing standards exceeding those required by law. In all marketing, advertising and communications activities, we clearly state that EVPs are an adult-only category and should not be targeted at young people or non-smokers.

EVPs should be regulated using a reasonable, evidence-based approach rooted in scientific research and policymakers, public health advocates and EVP manufacturers should share the goal of advancing research specific to the category. We urge regulators to recognize that EVPs may offer harm reduction possibilities as a potentially less harmful alternative to traditional combustible cigarettes.

Fontem is encouraged that even the FDA, through their Comprehensive Regulatory Plan that they launched in July 2017 looks to focus on:

• Acknowledging that while highly addictive, nicotine is delivered through products
  on a continuum of risk and cigarettes are the most harmful
• Striking an appropriate balance between smart regulation and encouraging
  innovation of satisfying, less harmful products
• Continuing to base all actions on regulatory and scientific foundation

EVP regulations should require robust product quality and safety standards, as well as govern responsible marketing practices ensuring youth protection.

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

At ITG Brands, we are committed to introducing more environmentally sustainable ways of working. We all have a role to play in reducing the impact that our activities have on the environment. We reduce the impact of our day-to-day activities on the environment by:

• Favoring the use of renewable materials while continuing to meet our customer
  expectations and consumer preferences
• Modifying our own behavior to reduce our impact on the environment by reducing
  waste, cutting out unnecessary travel, saving water and energy
• Ensuring unavoidable waste is reused, recycled or disposed of in a responsible way
• Reporting all spills or unusual emissions to the air or water to our line manager or
  local Health, Safety and Environment advisor

We must not ignore or accept any suspected or known violations of our Occupational Health, Safety and the Environment Policy.

SUSTAINABLE TOBACCO PROGRAM

To ensure short- and long-term sustainability, we are engaging our leaf suppliers and growers in a program that monitors social, environmental and economic factors to achieve ongoing improvement. For more information on our Sustainable Tobacco Program, please click below.

We manufacture electronic vaping products (EVPs), battery powered devices that heat e-liquids to create an aerosol which is then inhaled by the user. EVPs, and the e-liquids they contain, are fundamentally different from combustible cigarettes, as they do not contain tobacco. Our e-liquids are produced in varying nicotine strengths, with nicotine-free variants available.

We also offer a variety of flavors to adult smokers, as research has shown that flavors play a critical role in helping adult smokers make the transition from combustible cigarettes to potentially less harmful EVPs.

The CDC and FDA have linked health issues to e-liquids that contain vitamin E acetate and other oils. None of our products contain THC, vitamin E acetate, mineral oils or animal fats. Our products, their ingredients and the vapor produced from them undergo thorough scientific assessment prior to manufacture and sale.

We support the FDA in warning consumers to “avoid buying vaping products of any kind on the street, and to refrain from using THC oil or modifying/adding any substances to products purchased in stores”.

ITG Brands is committed to creating something better for the world’s smokers. We believe that regulation of our products should be informed by sound science, including existing evidence suggesting that choices, both in flavor and nicotine level, play a critical role in the journeys of current adult smokers as they transition to using potentially less harmful alternatives.

Expanding the available scientific evidence is a shared responsibility among government entities, the broader scientific community and responsible manufacturers. We are therefore committed to investing in research and contributing to the global debate regarding the harm reduction potential of alternatives to traditional tobacco products.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

A number of political leaders, regulators, public health bodies and independent nongovernmental organizations around the world have embraced the concept of tobacco harm reduction, advocating for effective alternatives to smoking, such as vaping.

Principles to Guide AAPHP Tobacco Policy
American Association of Public Health Physicians

American Cancer Society Position Statement on Electronic Cigarettes
American Cancer Society

Action Needed on E-cigarettes
America Truth Initiative

There’s More Evidence Than Ever That E-cigarettes are Safer Than Smoking
British Lung Foundation

Nicotine Without Smoke: Tobacco Harm Reduction
British Royal College of Physicians

Electronic Cigarettes: Q&A
Cancer Research UK

Electronic Cigarettes for Smoking Cessation
Cochrane UK

Electronic Cigarettes for Tobacco Harm Reduction
Drug and Alcohol Nurses of Australasia Incorporated

Health Canada to Review Tobacco Strategy as Smoking Rate Spikes
Health Canada

Supporting Smokers to Switch to Significantly Less Harmful Alternatives
New Zealand Ministry of Health

E-cigarettes
NHS Health Scotland

E-cigarettes Around 95% Less Harmful Than Tobacco Estimates Landmark Review
Public Health England

Inquiry Into the Use and Marketing of Electronic Cigarettes and Personal Vaporisers in Australia
The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists

E-cigarettes Contents
UK House of Commons Science and Technology Committee

Public Health Consequences of E-Cigarettes
UK National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine

Statement From FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., On New Enforcement Actions and a Youth Tobacco Prevention Plan to Stop Youth Use Of, and Access To, JUUL and Other E-cigarettes
US Food & Drug Administration