British American Tobacco (BAT) has been commended for its climate action this year, achieving a place on global environmental impact non-profit organisation CDP's prestigious 'A List' for climate change, based on the company's climate reporting in 2019.
BAT was recognised for its actions to cut emissions, mitigate climate risks and develop the low-carbon economy, based on the data submitted by the company through CDP's 2019 climate change questionnaire. BAT is one of a small number of high-performing companies out of thousands that were scored.
CDP's annual environmental disclosure and scoring process is widely-recognised as the gold standard of corporate environmental transparency. In 2019, over 525 investors with over US$96 trillion in assets, and 125 major purchasers with US$3.6 trillion in procurement spend, requested companies to disclose data on environmental impacts, risks and opportunities through CDP's platform - and over 8,400 responded.
A detailed and independent methodology is used by CDP to assess these companies, allocating a score of A to D, based on the comprehensiveness of disclosure, awareness and management of environmental risks and demonstration of best practices associated with environmental leadership, such as setting ambitious and meaningful targets. Those that don't disclose or provide insufficient information are marked with an F.
Simon Cleverly, Group Head of Corporate Affairs at BAT, said "Climate change is one of the most important issues impacting the world today. As a business with a global footprint, we recognise that addressing the impacts of climate change is not only the right thing to do, but also makes sound business sense given how much we depend on natural resources. We are delighted that our efforts have resulted inclusion in the CDP A list and see it as great recognition of our work to secure a better tomorrow for all our stakeholders."
BAT has been actively seeking to reduce its carbon emissions for a number of years and is proud to have in place challenging Science Based Targets initiatives (SBTi)-approved goals and be part of the ever-growing number of companies that have committed to making significant emissions reductions in line with the most up to date climate science. BAT's Group-wide approach to carbon management means that it is investing in energy efficiency initiatives and renewable energy solutions in multiple and diverse geographies, resulting in significant year-on-year reductions.
Paul Simpson, CEO of CDP, said: "Congratulations to the companies that achieved a position on CDP's A List this year, for leading in environmental performance and transparency. The scale of the business risks from the climate emergency, deforestation and water insecurity are vast - as are the opportunities from addressing them - and it's clear the private sector has a vital role to play at this critical time. The A List companies are leading the market in corporate sustainability, tackling environmental risks and setting themselves up to thrive in tomorrow's economy."
The Climate Change A List is published by CDP each year, alongside the A Lists for leadership on protecting forests and water security.
The full list of companies that made this year's CDP Climate Change A List is available on the CDP website, along with other publicly available company scores .
Enquiries
Notes to editors
The full methodology and criteria for the Climate Change A List are available on CDP's website under 'CDP scoring methodologies 2019'.
About CDP
CDP is a global non-profit organisation that drives companies and governments to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, safeguard water resources and protect forests. Voted number one climate research provider by investors and working with institutional investors with assets of US$96 trillion, it leverages investor and buyer power to motivate companies to disclose and manage their environmental impacts. Over 8,400 companies with over 50% of global market capitalisation disclosed environmental data through CDP in 2019. This is in addition to the over 920 cities, states and regions who disclosed, making CDP's platform one of the richest sources of information globally on how companies and governments are driving environmental change. CDP is a founding member of the We Mean Business Coalition. Visit the CDP website to find out more.
Press Office
+44 (0) 20 7845 2888 (24 hours) | @BATPress
Investor Relations
Mike Nightingale / Rachael Brierley / John Harney
+44 (0) 20 7845 1180 / 1519 / 1263
.
BRITISH AMERICAN TOBACCO P.L.C. 
