A popular way to present oneself in green guise is to sponsor clean-ups in cities or on beaches and to generously provide pocket ashtrays to smokers. After all, the large number of cigarette butts on sidewalks, green spaces and especially beaches is the most visible part of cigarettes’ impact on the environment. That is why the cigarette industry is happy to support cleaning up and prevent too many butts in green spaces.

For example, British American Tobacco provides artistically designed pocket ashtrays with sailor motifs for the campaign “Klare Kante Sylt” for the whole island of Sylt, which can be picked up for free in various stores.

Philip Morris sponsored, for example, the campaign “Frankfurt is not an ashtray!”, which took place from June 11 to July 26, 2021, as part of the city of Frankfurt’s cleanliness initiative #cleanffm. It’s goal was to make smokers aware of the problem of butt littering in squares, paths and parks. Philip Morris was mentioned right on the top of the campaign website.

For such sponsorings these companies spend only peanuts compared to their enormous advertising budgets. And at the same time they create positive attention for themselves with such actions.

Greenwashing

Corporations

British American Tobacco Philip Morris International

Countries

Germany
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