BAT Introduces New Omni Platform for Industry Transformation

To inform the public about the science behind smoke-free products and the potential of these products in reducing smoking harm, BAT today launched the Omni platform aimed at scientists, regulators, the business community, and citizens.

BAT’s research clearly shows that smoke-free products are less harmful than traditional cigarettes, explained Zvonko Kolobara, General Director of the BAT Adria cluster. He also added that BAT has invested over 700 million euros in Croatia so far, making it one of the largest private foreign investors.

– We are the only manufacturer and exporter of smoke-free products in Croatia – emphasized Kolobara.

He specifically highlighted over 80 million euros invested in the production of smoke-free products in Kanfanar, from where 80 percent of the production is exported to more than 30 different markets. More than 40 percent of the total production in Kanfanar consists of smoke-free products, of which as much as 90 percent is exported, and an additional 19 million euros have been invested in the sustainability of that production.

Daniele Tower, Head of Science and Regulatory Affairs at BAT, revealed that already 17.5 percent of BAT’s total revenue comes from smoke-free products, indicating that the industry is increasingly moving in that direction.

Industrial Transformation

At the conference ‘How to Stimulate Industry Transformation and Attract Investments?’, the need for further attracting investments in production in Croatia, which can strengthen the competitiveness of the domestic industry and increase employment and exports, was emphasized. Ante Šušnjar, Minister of Economy and envoy of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, pointed out that Croatia is currently very competitive in attracting investments, as confirmed by realized and announced investments.

– Croatia has confirmed its position as a stable and reliable investment destination – stated Šušnjar, reminding that from 1993 to the end of 2024, 53.7 billion euros in foreign investments have been realized.

The investment climate is continuously improving, and the growth of direct investments remains stable – 4.3 billion euros in 2021, 3.7 in 2022, 3.1 in 2023, and again a record 4.3 billion in 2024. As an example of modern industrial transformation, he highlighted the opening of new BAT facilities in Kanfanaru.

He particularly emphasized the importance of the Investment Promotion Act and support for investments with high added value, as this is where the potential for creating quality jobs and increasing exports lies.

Professor Ognjen Brborović from the Department of Social Medicine at the Zagreb Medical School warned about the lack of concrete measures in the fight against smoking in Croatia over the past thirty years, as we are among the top three countries in Europe in terms of the number of smokers. He emphasized that established myths about smoke-free products should be broken through continuous information and education based on scientific evidence, citing the reputable British NHS, the public health system, which has been publishing findings on the potential of smoke-free products to reduce smoking for years. After 15 years of dealing with this topic, Brborović sees every cigarette smoked less as – less harm.

The health of citizens, as well as the direction of industry development, were key topics of the panel discussion in which, alongside Brborović, participated Maruška Vizek, scientific advisor at the Economic Institute in Zagreb, Irena Weber, General Director of the Croatian Employers’ Association, Zora Ilić, Director of Corporate Communications, Regulatory and Government Relations at BAT Adria, and Bojan Batinić, Director of the Directorate for Internationalization at the Ministry of Economy.

Participants agreed that smoke-free products are the future, not only in terms of reducing health harm but also as an opportunity for new production and industrial development. It was also highlighted that the United Kingdom and Sweden are leading in reducing the number of smokers precisely due to the transition to smoke-free alternatives, which is already reflected in the reduction of smoking-related mortality and diseases, especially cancer. The need for the Croatian public health system to enable choice instead of prohibitions, whether to quit smoking or switch to reduced-harm products, was emphasized. It was concluded that Croatia needs production, even in this segment, as the country is as strong as it is competitive.