Equal pay for equal work done between men and women, achievement of the target of 40% female presence in managerial positions by the end of 2020, transformation of corporate objectives by abandoning cigarettes and focusing on alternative products to smoking. These are the results that Philip Morris Italia and Philip Morris Manufacturing & Technology Bologna have set out to achieve and which on the issue of gender equality have earned the "Equal-Salary" certification at a global level, appearing as the first Italian companies to obtain this recognition.
Despite that on the gender equality is still a controversial issue, there are several companies awarded – such as the international PwC Switzerland, Dufry SA Switzerland, Gavi – who have now made it a corporate commitment to be achieved: “Equality of pay is a fundamental step towards achieving true equality gender in the world of work. Being the first "Equal-Salary" certified company in Italy means not only enhancing the principles of equality that characterize an inclusive and dynamic environment, but also becoming ambassadors of a theme that we believe is of vital importance for our country" explained Paolo Le Pera, human resources director of the Philip Morris group in Italy.
The company's commitment to gender equality began a long time ago: Philip Morris International was the first multinational to obtain Equal-Salary certification in Switzerland in 2015 and then in Japan in 2016. To obtain this recognition, the group's subsidiaries underwent both a qualitative and quantitative verification procedure conducted by the consultancy firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers, recognized as an external and neutral certifying body.
To help achieve gender balance among corporate executives, Philip Morris – where today 35% of managerial roles are entrusted to women, up 4 percentage points on 2015 – it is proposed to obtain 40% of executive seats all assigned to women's quotas.
It is not only the issue of gender equality that is dear to Philip Morris International. The world's leading tobacco products company has taken up the challenge of sustainability and launched a revolution in the world of cigarettes, in an effort to create a smoke-free future by replacing the consumption of traditional cigarettes with that of products that have the potential to present a lower risk of harm to smokers. As of December 31, 2018, Philip Morris estimated that approximately 6.6 million adult smokers worldwide have already quit smoking e-cigarettes have switched to IQOS, the tobacco heating device which is currently available in 44 markets – nationwide or in select cities.
