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CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY AND NARRATIVE.
THE “3F MODEL”: SCALE OF IMPACT OF TOBACCO
INDUSTRIES.
PHILIP MORRIS INTERNATIONAL: A CASE STUDY
The first aim of this chapter is to illustrate the methodology that was used in the present research. A
quantitative approach was chosen as it appeared to suit better the purpose of the study, i.e. a thorough
investigation of the impact of environmental issues on tobacco industry, enriched by an overview of
the proposed measure for improvement as well as by the discussion of a case study. The latter was
adopted to provide rounded, detailed illustrations of the actual management of the issue by a tobacco
company, namely Philip Morris International.
The first part of the research consisted in gathering information on the topic, by drawing on an
extensive number of resources, available in online archives such as Jstor, PubMed and Google
Scholar. The study of these documents constituted the basis for the forthcoming stage of the work,
namely the definition of the “3F model”, which will characterize the whole structure, determining the
direction of the research. Indeed, each of the three F is associated with a particular phase of the
tobacco product lifecycle, as it will be discussed later on in this chapter.
Once gathered all the relevant information on production, curing, manufacturing, distribution,
consumption and final disposal, they were compared to the practises that PMI reported to have carried
out in the last year, in order to reduce its footprint.
Finally, another research was carried out, in order to assess the existing proposals meant to ensure a
better and more sustainable future.
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3.1 The Field
As I have pointed out in the introduction to this paper, the leitmotiv of this study will be what I defined
as “3F model”, which is a very simple system of classification developed for the purpose of dividing
tobacco products’ life cycle into three different steps. The first one, which will be taken into account
in this section of the chapter, deals with the activities which are carried out in the field - as suggested
by the title of the section. These include both the phases of growing and curing, which will be analysed
separately in the following paragraphs, by paying particular attention to the consequences they have
in terms of both environmental and social issues.
3.1.1. Tobacco farming, land and agriculture
A considerable amount of literature has been published on the effects of tobacco plants, on an
agricultural level. To better understand the facts which will be discussed in this section, it is important,
first, to give a brief overview of crops. There is a general consensus on the fact that a healthy soil, i.e.
rich in nutrients and free from pesticides, is the result of a careful crop rotation program
13
, which
means that no single crop shall be planted in the same area for two or more years. Every crop absorbs
different nutrients from the soil, according to the kind of roots it has – shallow or deep. Switching
from one crop to another prevents the soil from deteriorating, as it would happen if the same elements
were to be used over and over, year after year. Not only is crop rotation important in order not to
drain the soil of specific nutrients, but it also has effects on the presence of insects. Indeed, pests that
feed on the single crop – and that spend their larval stage in the soil – become more prolific as their
food source remains. These pests become harder to manage every year as their population
increases
14
. Crop rotation shall be planned very carefully, considering for example that some kinds
13
As explained at https://store.almanac.com/the-importance-of-crop-rotation/
14
Ibidem
12
of crop can have positive effects for the forthcoming ones – e.g. legumes fix nitrogen, thus improving
the quality of the soil for future vegetables grown in the same area. It is beyond the scope of this study
to provide a comprehensive review of crop rotation. Indeed, it will be sufficient to add that the
plantations which do not undergo this process, need to be left lie fallow – i.e. crop free - more often.
In light of the general consensus on the importance of the topic of soil health, the Conference of the
Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, during its sixth meeting in Russia
in 2014 (COP 6), decided to take specific actions to tackle the issue. As reported in Policy Options
and Recommendations on Economically Sustainable Alternatives to Tobacco Growing (in relation to
Articles 17 and 18), this issue is covered in the first principle, which claims that livelihoods
diversification should be the concept guiding implementation of economically sustainable
alternatives to tobacco growing.
15
Not only does this take into account the importance of crop rotation
or intercropping – i.e. growing other crops […] associated with tobacco growing
16
: indeed, it also
suggests that a holistic approach should be adopted, which encompasses also labour, education,
infrastructure, savings, income, network of social relations and social structure – which are referred
to, respectively, as human, physical, financial and social capital. These facts can be considered as
complementary issues in tobacco growing and will be discussed in detail in the second part of this
section. For now, it is better to keep the main focus of the paragraph on the aspects which are directly
related to agriculture.
Tobacco is generally grown as a monocrop, and this fact alone brings a series of implications in terms
of impact on the soil’s health. Indeed, as just explained, the lack of rotation causes a lack in the soil’s
natural possibilities of regeneration: a monocrop absorbs the same substances for a long time, and
this leads to soil depletion. The only way to try and restore its health consists of the use of chemicals
and agrochemicals which, unfortunately, constitute another serious threat for the whole environment.
15
FCTC, Policy Options and Recommendations on Economically Sustainable Alternatives to Tobacco Growing (in
relation to Articles 17 and 18), available at
https://www.who.int/fctc/treaty_instruments/Recommendations_Articles_17_18_English.pdf?ua=1.
16
Ivi, p. 7.
13
Among the other effects, indeed, it must be borne in mind that these substances can permeate the soil
and reach ground waters. Because of that, soil acidity can be modified – thus changing growing
conditions for plants, which can be either damaged or killed. Moreover, water pollution can harm
animals too: aquatic animals can find themselves in an unliveable habitat, while the rest of them can
be damaged by the consumption of an altered natural resource. It goes without saying that also the
survival of human beings cannot be conceived without taking into account our natural need for water.
For this reason, drawing on altered water resources represents a direct and very serious threat to our
health. Finally, but not in terms of importance, water pollution encompasses the whole hydrologic
cycle, hence it can cause acid rains and extend also to surface waters, such as rivers, lakes and seas.
The importance of this resource implies that a decrease in its quality and safety will have negative
impacts on a global scale.
However, the peculiar structure of tobacco plants and their needs in terms of nutrition substances add
another challenging element to the issue. As explained by WHO, they absorb more nitrogen,
phosphorus and potassium than other major food and cash crops, meaning tobacco depletes soil
fertility more rapidly.
17
Additionally, soil depletion is accelerated by some agricultural practises such
as topping and desuckering. The former is generally understood to indicate the process of removing
the upper part of the crop, thus preventing the seeds from scattering onto the soil. On the other hand,
the latter can be loosely described as the removal of lateral sprouts of the plant.
Another important fact related to the nature of tobacco plants is that once they are harvested, they do
not contribute in any measure to the rest of the ecosystem: according to N. Lecours, G. E. G. Almeida,
J. M. Abdallah and T. Novotny (2011: 193), in turn, the diminished animal resources reduce animal
manure, which is essential to maintain soil health in developing countries. In this way – they argue –
17
WHO, Tobacco and its Environmental Impact: an Overview, available at
https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/255574/9789241512497-
eng.pdf;jsessionid=D7BB904B2EA35783FBF6CF1B70C58739?sequence=1, p. 5.
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the global ecosystem is at risk and might eventually be destroyed, thus implying land degradation, as
well as the loss of biodiversity.
After being harvested, tobacco leaves undergo a process commonly known as curing. Returning
briefly to the introduction of the paper, where a definition was first provided, according to Philip
Morris International’s online Glossary it is possible to say that the term encompasses drying tobacco
18
and that its importance lays in the fact that it plays a major role in defining the final quality and
character of the tobacco leaf. Tobacco curing must be carefully controlled to bring out the different
characteristics of each tobacco type. Curing methods vary depending on the type of tobacco.
19
At this
point, it is worth mentioning the main curing methods and giving a brief description of each one of
them. For this purpose, the WHO document Tobacco and its Environmental Impact: an Overview
will be taken as a main source of information, since it provides a simple yet satisfactory classification
of the main aspects related to each one. The first label it explains is air curing. This method consists
in hanging tobacco leaves in ventilated barns, for four to eight weeks. The result is a product which
is low in sugar, but high in nicotine content. The same outcome can be achieved via the second
strategy, i.e. fire curing: fires of hardwood are set to burn for three days up to ten weeks in the barn.
This method is specifically adopted for pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco and snuff. Another option is
known as flue curing and consists in providing artificial heat in the so-called flue-curing barns. In so
doing, leaves are not directly exposed to smoke: the temperature rises progressively over one week –
this is the timeframe required by this method. After this time, the result will be tobacco which will be
destined to the production of high-grade cigarettes, its peculiarity being a high sugar content and
levels of nicotine which may vary from medium to high. The last possibility to carry out the curing
18
PMI, Glossary, available at https://www.pmi.com/glossary-section/glossary/tobacco-curing
19
Ibidem.
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