In 1993, we launched the Tobacco Industry Campaign, targeting Philip Morris (now Altria) and RJR Nabisco (now Reynolds American Tobacco) as the leaders in spreading a preventable global epidemic.

Philip Morris/Altria uses its ownership of Kraft Foods to improve its image and gain clout with policymakers. Through the Kraft Boycott, we exposed the truth behind the tobacco giant's image and reduced its political influence.

The Campaign and the Kraft Boycott got Philip Morris/Altria's attention, as shown by internal corporate documents released under terms of a 1998 settlement with the state of Minnesota. (Click here to view a selection of these documents.)

Corporate Accountability International's Campaign, including the boycotts targeting of Kraft and Nabisco, took a toll on the tobacco giants. Our members and activists:

• Mobilized millions to boycott Kraft, exposing the truth behind the corporate image;
• Organized retailers to remove Marlboro Man and Joe Camel ads;
• Scared Philip Morris (now Altria) with our documentary "Making a Killing";
• Confronted corporate executives at  annual meetings and other public events;
• Raised awareness of global tobacco abuses;
• Reduced the industry's political and economic influence;
• Educated and mobilized political leaders around the globe.

The public climate has shifted dramatically since the Tobacco Industry Campaign began. In the U.S., tobacco giants have been forced to:

1. Admit their products are addictive and deadly;
2. Pay some of the enormous costs of caring for people who are sick and dying from tobacco;
3. Give up some of their most effective promotional tactics;
4. Deal with increased scrutiny of their political influence as more and more politicians refuse donations from tobacco corporations.

Corporate Accountability International and its NGO allies played a critical role in mobilizing support for the unanimous adoption of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) on May 21, 2003 by the World Health Assembly'a milestone for global public health and corporate accountability. We rallied consumer, environmental and human rights organizations in over 50 countries to form the Network for Accountability of Tobacco Transnationals (NATT) in 1999. Our organizing and networking with allies helped provide the political will and momentum for the World Health Organization and its member states to pursue and adopt a global tobacco treaty.

The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control is the world's first health and corporate accountability treaty. The treaty will save millions of lives and change the way the tobacco industry operates globally. The treaty bans tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship--such as the Marlboro Man--and establishes important precedents for international regulation of other industries.

The story of the FCTC inspires hope. Tobacco giants Philip Morris (now Altria), British American Tobacco (BAT), and Japan Tobacco International (JTI) sought to weaken and derail the treaty. The U.S. attempted to bully countries into watering down the document. The developing world, however, led by a block of 46 African nations and supported by Corporate Accountability International and NATT, united to prevent the spread of tobacco addiction, disease and death.

The treaty opened for signature on June 16, 2003 and will enter into force 90 days after the 40th country has ratified it. In recognition of this major victory in our corporate accountability organizing, we lifted the Kraft Boycott on June 23, 2003.

Corporate Accountability International continues to campaign for the implementation and enforcement of the global tobacco treaty.

Search | Site Map | Contact Us | Jobs and Internships | Privacy Policy | Donate Design by Communicopia.Net