Reynolds American parent BAT named third-highest rated ESG performer in global ranking

- BAT, the global parent company of the Reynolds American organization (Reynolds) named as third-highest rated ESG performer in the U.K.'s FTSE-100 index

- BAT has been on a transformation journey to A Better Tomorrow™, putting sustainability front and center and winning over 200 awards in 2020, and is the only company in its industry in the prestigious Dow Jones Sustainability World Index

- Reynolds scored 100% on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's 2021 national survey measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality, the second consecutive year it has earned that recognition

- In 2020 Reynolds was named by FORTUNE magazine as a Great Place to Work for the fourth consecutive year

News provided by

Reynolds American Inc.

Mar 24, 2021, 11:07 ET

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., March 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The global parent company of Reynolds, BAT has been rated as the third highest environmental, social, and governance (ESG) company in the FTSE-100 index, which consists of the 100 largest publicly traded companies in the United Kingdom. This designation for BAT was made by Refinitiv, a global provider of financial market data and a subsidiary of London Stock Exchange Group. BAT achieved an ESG score of 91 out of 100 and is the highest-rated business in the food and tobacco sector globally. This award highlights the commitment of both Reynolds and the BAT Group globally to high ESG performance across the company.

"Winning more than 200 awards in 2020 was an exceptional recognition of our achievements and shows we are on track to build the sustainable enterprise of the future," said Guy Meldrum, Reynolds CEO and President. "We're delighted to be part of the ranking as one of the FTSE-100 top three ESG performers as continued proof of this. In 2020, we committed to ambitious new ESG targets to deliver A Better Tomorrow for consumers, society and for our investors, and we're well on our way to achieve them."

Meldrum noted Reynolds has received recent accolades for its contribution to BAT's shared vision for A Better Tomorrow™, especially as a leading inclusive workplace. The recognition includes:

Named by FORTUNE Magazine as a Great Place to Work – a certification Reynolds has achieved for four consecutive years, a direct result of employee feedback provided anonymously to Great Place to Work.
For the second consecutive year, Reynolds scored 100% on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's 2021 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), the nation's foremost benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality. By scoring 100%, Reynolds was again designated by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation as one of the Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality.

Reynolds has a renewed and sharpened focus on diversity and inclusion, advancing commitments to action for the organization in 2020, including:

Announcing a 2025 ambition relating to the acceleration of diversity in its management positions.
Conducting formal semiannual meetings of employee resource groups with Reynolds' CEO to inform commitments and strengthen the Diversity & Inclusion arm of Reynolds' ethos.
Offering employees volunteer days off so they can engage in opportunities to serve their local communities Expanding unconscious bias training throughout the organization to enhance the cultural sensitivity to this very important issue.
Committing $3 million over three years to support organizations and groups that combat racism and inequality in the pursuit of social justice – with the selection of the organizations informed by our employee resource groups.

Globally, the top-three Refinitiv ranking is the latest of several ESG-related accomplishments for the BAT Group. In 2020 the BAT Group won over 200 awards and for 2021 is already ranked as:

Gold Class in S&P Global's Sustainability Yearbook, putting it among the best-performing organizations in managing ESG metrics.
The highest rating in Institutional Shareholder Services' (ISS) Social Disclosures Quality Score, which identifies best-in-class sustainability disclosure practices.
A 'BBB' rating in the most recent MSCI ESG Ratings, which helps investors identify and understand financially material ESG portfolio risks.
A CDP Climate A List and Supplier Engagement Leader board member, both for the second year in a row, recognizing its actions to tackle climate change.
A Global Top Employer by Top Employers Institute for the fourth consecutive year.

In March 2021, BAT published its annual ESG report demonstrating the global organization's significant progress against its targets, including:

Increasing consumers of non-combustible products by 3 million to 13.5 million at year end 2020.
Increasing New Categories revenue by 15% in 2020 versus 2019.
Increasing renewable energy to more than 26% in 2020 - a 10% increase from 2019, coupled with a greater than 30% reduction in overall carbon emissions since 2019.
Reducing water withdrawn by nearly 11% since 2019.
Holding more than 38,000 human rights training sessions, with more than 390,000 attendances across its supply chain.
Reaching 38% of female representation in management roles.

About Reynolds American Inc.

Reynolds American Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of the BAT Group, and the U.S. parent company of R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company; Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company, Inc.; American Snuff Company, LLC; R. J. Reynolds Vapor Company; Modoral Brands Inc., and Kentucky BioProcessing, Inc. To learn more about Reynolds American Inc. and its operating companies, please visit www.reynoldsamerican.com.

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SOURCE Reynolds American Inc.