Unsmoke

Today is an important day not only for me but also my company. My own story of unsmoking my home is shared by my company, Philip Morris International, on the day we are starting a new year. Yes, it is not the first day of January but today is the first day of “the Year of Unsmoke”. For those who are not familiar with “unsmoke”, let PMI’s Chief Operating Officer Jacek Olczak define it:

Unsmoke is meant “to enable people to make an informed choice about the better alternatives that are available to them”

In the video below, you may also see PMI’s Senior VP Global Communications Marian Salzman’s description of “Unsmoke”:

With the launch of “The Year of Unsmoke”, Philip Morris International kicked off an urgent call to action to smokers, nonsmokers, regulators and agents of change across the world to drive a better future for the world’s 1.1 billion smokers and their families, loved ones and communities. The World Health Organization predicts that there will still be more than one billion smokers in 2025. This is an important issue that needs to be addressed. As an employee of PMI and as an “unsmoker” who has things to tell in order to unsmoke the world, I shared my own story and it is published on pmi.com. Here it is:

Unsmoke Hero: Volkan Yorulmaz

“I’ve got one son and he’s got one life." For Volkan Yorulmaz, the prospect of fatherhood prompted his decision to unsmoke his life and home.

The Turkish senior tax analyst is one of hundreds of PMI employees to share their stories in our #Unsmoke campaign, which aims to tap into global efforts to rid the world of smoke.

Volkan decided to quit cigarettes and nicotine altogether when he and his wife were expecting their child. Together, they have given up and are not looking back.

“I had been smoking since I finished university,” he says. “I would describe myself as a social smoker, I really only smoked when I was out with friends or having meals. But that changed when I found out I was going to be a parent.”

“My partner and I decided to quit and we told our friends. From that moment on, they would have to smoke outside if they wanted to have a cigarette when they visited.”

For Volkan and his wife, the decision to unsmoke was the easy part. But getting their friends to agree was more of a challenge since they were accustomed to smoking in their living room when they visited.

Volkan says he and his wife want their guests to feel welcome and at ease. So he was apprehensive about telling them they could no longer smoke in their house.

“I was a bit shy when I first told my friends. I didn’t want them to think I was being rude. Fortunately, they understood why we wanted to do it.”

Volkan and his wife decided that as parents, they would ensure their house stayed smoke-free and their friends supported them. This support was valuable for Volkan because his decision to quit was driven by a desire to be around to enjoy every moment of his young son Okan’s life.

“I’ve got one son and he’s got one life. It’s the same for me and my wife. I unsmoked so I could spend every moment of my life with them. I would say, if you smoke you may see an episode of a television show. But if you unsmoke, you will see the whole series.”

This is my own “unsmoke” experience. I know everyone has different reasons, different stories, and behind all these drivers to unsmoke, the core message is:

If you don’t smoke, don’t start
If you smoke, quit
If you don’t quit, change
Unsmoke

PS. It is a great memory for me and my family to see our story shared by PMI’s social media accounts. I know we will look at these screenshots in the coming years and remember these early days of #unsmoke

Pmi.com: https://www.pmi.com/unsmoke/unsmoker-volkan-yorulmaz

Twitter: https://twitter.com/InsidePMI/status/1115222888364355586

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6520988599146684416

PMI was at Davos - We are open for Conversation and Collaboration towards our Transformation

My company, Philip Morris International (PMI) is leading a change in its industry, simply we are going towards a transformation. We have a new focus: coming up with better alternatives to continued smoking, this is for the men and women who would otherwise continue to smoke cigarettes.

Last week top level executives of PMI took place in Davos because we know that we cannot take this journey alone. Our executives got together with World leaders in Davos to let them know about the scientific evidence in favor of alternative, smoke free products. By taking their support, our transformative change will be possible.

According to the recent data, my company PMI has already invested more than USD 4.5 billion in our central strategic goal—to provide adult smokers with better options than continued smoking.
Some people come up with this question “Why not just stop selling cigarettes?”

Cigarette smoking is a fact of life. More than 1 billion people worldwide smoke cigarettes and, according to the World Health Organization, there will still be more than 1 billion in 2025. For the large population of existing cigarettes smokers who would otherwise continue smoking, there has to be a sensible plan. In a world where smoking is a fact of life, we cannot simply ignore the compelling scientific evidence that demonstrates that not all forms of tobacco are equally harmful. What matters is what the consumer is inhaling. There is a huge difference between smoke from a burning cigarette and the aerosol from a non-combustible product. It is that burning process that creates the vast majority of the harmful and potentially harmful chemicals that are the primary causes of smoking-related diseases.

At PMI, we take our wider responsibilities as a company very seriously. And we urge others, in the same spirit of seriousness, to put aside their prejudices, reflect on the advantages of smoke-free alternatives to cigarettes and support us in our historic mission.

Those who are still in opposition should be aware that they are becoming disablers of public health solutions. They are blocking change, denying smokers these alternatives.

This truly is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

We must seize it—and seize it together. Let’s collaborate towards this transformation!

Finally, let's listen and watch more about why PMI is in Davos from Marian Salzman, our senior VP Global Communications.