Romanian tobacco heating products (THP) users such as glo report that they experience a number of physical and social benefits from switching from smoking to tobacco heating products. The latest IRES study, carried out in the first half of 2022, highlights key information regarding the perception of Romanian consumers: according to the respondents, these products have less negative impact on the physical condition, leave less unpleasant odor on clothes and hands, and less damage to the teeth.

• Consumers experience the benefits of switching from smoking to low-risk alternatives* such as glo, BAT’s heating tobacco product: 60% of users say they cough less; 55% say they experience less negative impact on their physical condition and 72% say their teeth suffer less.
• More than half of consumers of tobacco heating products (53%) completely quit smoking and became exclusive consumers of these products.
• Consumer perception studies are relevant public policy tools that can determine whether tobacco heating products such as glo can contribute to strategies to reduce the harmful effects of smoking by providing consumers with viable alternatives.
• In Romania, adult smokers already use more than 300,000 glo* devices, the most innovative tobacco heating product in the BAT portfolio.
• BAT is building a better future (A Better Tomorrow™) by reducing the impact on health. The company invests around £350 million a year in the development of new tobacco and nicotine products that evolve as technology, science and consumer preferences change.

Romanian glo users reported improved physical condition while using glo compared to when they smoked:

• 60% less coughing than when smoking;
• 55% of them claim that the use of glo has a less negative effect on their physical condition than smoking;
• 72% say their teeth are less damaged than when they smoked.

glo consumers also cited social benefits after switching to a BAT product that heats tobacco:

• 96% of respondents felt less odor on their clothes and hands;
• 97% indicated a reduction in the negative impact on indoor air;
• 89% indicated a less unpleasant aftertaste compared to smoking;
• 95% reported less bad breath after switching to glo compared to smoking.

More than half (53%) of respondents say they quit smoking completely after switching to a product that heats tobacco, and the majority of THP users who quit smoking completely said they did so to improve their physical condition:

• 66% because they wanted to lead a healthy lifestyle;
• 56% because they wanted to reduce the impact on their own body.

According to IRES research, consumers want low-risk products. The majority of consumers (71%) who quit smoking completely after switching to a tobacco heating product say they did so because of the reduced risk potential, while 65% of users find the products satisfactory.

The results of the study show that consumers are willing to look for alternatives to smoking, and a possible legal restriction could curb the encouraging results obtained so far. Ago:

• 49% of glo users would use these products less or avoid them altogether if fragrances in consumables were banned, and
• 28% of glo users would go back to smoking cigarettes.

“The voice of consumers is one of the most relevant barometers in determining the most effective long-term strategies to reduce the harmful effects of smoking. Every consumer who quits smoking and switches to reduced-risk products* is a step forward on our journey to a better future. The results of this study add to the growing body of scientific evidence supporting glo as a less risky alternative** for adult smokers who are not quitting. All of these are appropriate tools to better inform consumers and regulators about the potential of tobacco heating products in strategies to reduce the harmful effects of smoking.”– said Ileana Dumitru, director of legal issues and public relations of the Central and Southern Europe region of BAT.

“You can say that THP is a milder version of tobacco use, it is not necessarily affected by the negative association with this vice. THP is more socially acceptable, makes people feel better and has the advantage of being used in places where traditional tobacco is prohibited. More importantly, it appears to be an intermediate step towards smoking cessation, as the proportion of those who quit smoking completely is 50% higher than those who would return to traditional cigarettes under the scenario of restrictions on THP use.’ recalled Dan Yurkan, director of research at the IRES Institute.

The study was conducted by IRES for BAT Romania and its findings are based on the perceptions of a representative sample of users of tobacco heating products who have fully or partially quit smoking. Respondents were asked to compare the use of products that heat tobacco to smoking, recognizing that the burning (as opposed to the heating) of tobacco is responsible for the risks associated with smoking. The study was conducted by IRES between April 14 and May 12, 2022, during which 848 users were interviewed. All respondents used a tobacco heating product for at least six months and smoked for at least a year before switching to a tobacco heating product – enough time to feel any difference. The research team used the CATI (computer-assisted telephone interview) data collection method.

What are low risk products**? Vapor products, tobacco heating products, and oral nicotine products are designed for smokeless tobacco use, and some do not even contain tobacco. It is generally accepted that harmful substances released during the burning of tobacco are the cause of most diseases associated with smoking. On the other hand, it is recognized that nicotine, although addictive, is not the main cause of health risk. For this reason, nicotine replacement products can play an important role in strategies to reduce the harmful effects of smoking by providing alternatives to smokers who wish to continue using nicotine and who would not otherwise quit smoking. In Romania, more than 300,000 adult smokers have already adopted glo, BAT’s most innovative product that heats tobacco.

What is smoking-related risk reduction? It is a public health strategy that recognizes the risks associated with smoking and aims to minimize the health effects of smoking by encouraging those adult smokers who would otherwise continue to smoke to switch completely to science-based, less risky alternatives

About BAT worldwide

BAT is a leading multi-category consumer products company with a mission to build a better tomorrow (A Better Tomorrow™) by reducing health impacts, which includes a commitment to provide adult consumers with a diverse range of low-risk products*.

The company continues to explain that cigarettes are a serious health hazard and that the only way to avoid them is to quit smoking. BAT encourages those who continue to smoke to switch completely to scientifically proven, lower-risk alternatives*. To achieve this, BAT is transforming itself into a truly consumer-centric multi-category FMCG business.

BAT’s aim is to have 50 million consumers choosing its non-combustible products by 2030, and by 2025 it could generate £5bn of revenue from new categories. BAT has set a number of ambitious sustainability goals, including achieving carbon neutrality for goals 1 and 2 by 2030. , eliminating unnecessary single-use plastic and by 2025 using only reusable, recyclable or compostable plastic for packaging.

BAT has more than 52,000 employees and operates in more than 175 countries. BAT Group’s revenue for the first half of 2022 was £12.87bn, with an operating profit of £3.68bn.

The company’s strategic portfolio includes its global cigarette brands and the category of reduced-risk tobacco and nicotine products*, as well as traditional smokeless tobacco products. These include e-cigarettes, tobacco heating products, modern oral products, including tobacco-free nicotine oral products, and traditional oral products such as snus and moist snuff. BAT had 20.4 million users of tobacco-free products in the first half of 2022, an increase of 2.1 million from the previous year.

*glo is a low-risk product intended for adult users of tobacco and nicotine products

** Based on existing data and assuming full transition from smoking to these products, which are not without risk and are addictive.

Article supported by BAT Romania