JTI represents the international activities of JT Group’s tobacco business. JTI manufactures and sells more than 90 brands of tobacco products in more than 120 countries. Much of its tobacco is grown in developing countries with significant rural populations.
Founded in 1999, JTI represents the international business of the JT Group, a Japanese diversified conglomerate that owns several tobacco brands. Much of JTI’s tobacco is grown in developing countries where rural economies are less developed and where communities are highly dependent on agriculture. These communities often suffer from poor living conditions as well as limited access to basic health care, sanitation and education. JTI has specific programs to invest directly in the communities where it operates and works with communities to improve living conditions, including the rights and safety of workers and to help eliminate exploitative child labor. JTI applies stringent standards of business ethics to its suppliers and has specific labor practice standards for its tobacco leaf growers. These standards are based on the conventions of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and outline the company’s stance against child labor and incorporate measures to eliminate its occurrence.
JTI is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland and has more than 27,000 employees globally.
JTI takes an inclusive view of the environmental, social, and economic aspects of tobacco cultivation and is committed to operating responsibly and encouraging the spread of best practice. Although we don't own tobacco farms, we do own leaf dealers and processing facilities in a number of countries which brings us into direct contact with thousands of growers and their communities. There is an imperative to improve the long-term sustainability of those communities and, by extension, our leaf supply chain. The elimination of child labor is an area where we can make a positive change.