Antitrust, Philip Morris Italy under scrutiny: spotlight on 'smoke-free' slogan

The Antitrust Authority is turning the spotlight on Philip Morris Italia. The Antitrust Authority, headed by its chairman Roberto Rustichelli, has in fact opened an investigation against the company for a possible unfair commercial practice linked to the promotion of so-called 'smoke-free' innovative products.

In the Authority's view, the use of phrases such as 'smoke-free', 'a smoke-free future' or 'smokeless products' could mislead consumers: messages that, while emphasising the absence of combustion, risk making these products perceived as not harmful or significantly less harmful than traditional cigarettes. Information that, according to the Antitrust Authority, would not be entirely clear and complete, since even heated tobacco devices are not without negative effects on health and can be addictive.

The Antitrust Authority also announced that yesterday, Tuesday 14 October, the Authority's officials - together with the Special Antitrust Unit of the Guardia di Finanza - carried out inspections at the headquarters of Philip Morris Italia S.p.A. and Philip Morris Manufacturing & Technology Bologna S.p.A., in support of the preliminary investigation activities.

The intervention comes at a time when the tobacco market is undergoing a profound transformation, driven precisely by 'alternative' products to traditional cigarettes. Philip Morris, in particular, has built much of its communication and industrial strategy around the concept of a 'smoke-free future', with billionaire investments in heated tobacco devices and nicotine-based products. Now, the Antitrust Authority intends to verify whether this narrative complies with the rules on fairness and transparency of commercial communication, in an area - that of public health - that is particularly sensitive.

Nel frattempo è arrivato il commento di Philip Morris Italia che «ritiene di aver agito sempre nel rispetto della disciplina vigente ed è convinta che la propria comunicazione sia fattuale, veritiera e pienamente coerente con la normativa italiana ed europea che associano l’assenza di fumo all’assenza di combustione». La società specifica che «il decreto legislativo 6/2016 che ha recepito in Italia la direttiva europea 2014/40/UE, all’art. 2, comma 5 definisce il “prodotto del tabacco non da fumo” (“smokeless tobacco product” nella versione in lingua inglese della direttiva), come un “un prodotto del tabacco che non comporta un processo di combustione”». Inoltre, «la realizzazione di un futuro senza fumo rappresenta notoriamente il principale obiettivo di Philip Morris International a livello globale da circa dieci anni, un obiettivo a cui le affiliate italiane lavorano da anni, a fianco di una filiera integrata del Made in Italy che conta 44.000 persone». In questo quadro, l’azie