Our Business Principles

As a commercial enterprise, Carreras Limited’s primary role is to build long-term shareholder value by meeting consumers’ preferences for high quality tobacco products. However, our company cannot operate in isolation from the expectations of a broader range of stakeholders and it is by successfully balancing these expectations, that we are best placed to continue building a sustainable business.

We believe in the Business Principles of British American Tobacco which seek to capture the key topics that underpin Corporate Social Responsibility for a multinational tobacco business. They also address the issues that are important to stakeholders, including those who criticise tobacco products and the industry. Indeed, our Business Principles aim to cover all the issues that we must balance across our business.

There are three Business Principles: Mutual Benefit, Responsible Product Stewardship and Good Corporate Conduct, each of which is supported by a series of Core Beliefs, which explain what the Principle means in more detail.

The Principle of Mutual Benefit

The principle of Mutual Benefit is the basis on which we build our relationships with our stakeholders. We are primarily in business to build long term shareholder value and we believe the best way to do this is to seek to understand and take account of the needs of all our stakeholders.

Core Beliefs:

• We believe in creating long term shareholder value
• We believe in engaging constructively with our stakeholders
• We believe in creating inspiring working environments for our people
• We believe in adding value to the communities in which we operate
• We believe that suppliers and other business partners should have the opportunity to benefit from their relationship with us

The Principle of Responsible Product Stewardship

The principle of Responsible Product Stewardship is the basis on which we meet consumer demand for a legal product that is generally accepted as a cause of serious diseases.

Core Beliefs:

• We believe in the provision of accurate, clear health messages about the risks of tobacco consumption
  
• We believe the health impact of tobacco consumption should be reduced whilst respecting the right of informed adults to choose the products they prefer
• We believe that relevant and meaningful information about our products should continue to be available
  
• We believe that underage people should not consume tobacco products
  
• We believe that our brands and products should be marketed responsibly and directed at adult consumers
  
• We believe in the appropriate taxation of tobacco products and the elimination of illicit trade
  
• We believe in regulation that balances the interests of all sections of society, including tobacco consumers and the tobacco industry
  
• We believe that public smoking should be approached in a way that balances the interests of smokers and non-smokers
  

The Principle of Good Corporate Conduct

The principle of Good Corporate Conduct is the basis on which all our businesses should be managed. Business success brings with it an obligation for high standards of behaviour and integrity in everything we do and wherever we operate. These standards should not be compromised for the sake of results.

Core Beliefs:

• We believe our businesses should uphold high standards of behaviour and integrity
  
• We believe that high standards of corporate social responsibility should be promoted within the tobacco industry
  
• We believe that universally recognised fundamental human rights should be respected
  
• We believe the tobacco industry should have a voice in the formation of government policies affecting it
  
• We believe in achieving world class standards of environmental performance