AGRICULTURAL LABOR PRACTICESPROGRESS UPDATEACCESS TO WATER, SANITATION,AND HYGIENE: IMPROVINGLIVELIHOODS IN OUR TOBACCOSUPPLY CHAIN
Q3 2020

ACCESS TO WATER, SANITATION, AND HYGIENE: IMPROVING LIVELIHOODS IN OUR TOBACCO SUPPLY CHAIN ALP PROGRESS UPDATE | Q3 2020

WASH IN THE GLOBALSUSTAINABILITY AGENDA
Water access, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH)
is a fundamental human right that helps ensure
health and prosperity for communities.1 Despite
the global progress made so far, billions ofpeople worldwide, mostly in rural areas, stilllack these basic services. According to theUnited Nations2 (UN), one in three people
do not have access to safe drinking water,
two out of five people do not have a basic
hand-washing facility with soap and water,and more than 673 million people still practice
open defecation.
There is a clear link between poverty and limitedaccess to WASH services.3 Because of thisconnection, an increase in WASH infrastructure
can provide great improvements to both
the well-being and livelihood of community
members. Better WASH conditions enablepeople to be more productive at home, inschool, and in the workplace, maximizing theirearnings and future potential. Proper accessto water and sanitation is a key foundation
for achieving sustainable development andguaranteeing good hygiene conditions. The
2030 agenda for Sustainable Development(set by the United Nations General Assemblyin 2015) recognizes safe drinking water,effective sanitation, and good hygiene both asan end and as a driver of progress on many of
the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),
including health, nutrition, education, andgender equality.
At PMI, we are committed to play our part inmaking the SDGs become a reality. Improving
WASH services means contributing directly
to the following four SDGs:

1. Available at: https://www.unwater.org/water-facts/human-rights/
2. Available at: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/E_Infographic_06.pdf
3. Available at: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/getWSDoc.php?id=2438

Ensure healthy
lives and promote
well-being for all at
all ages

Ensure availability
and sustainable
managementof water andsanitation for all

Ensure inclusive
and equitable
quality educationand promote
lifelong learning
opportunities for all

End poverty in all itsforms everywhere.

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PMI’S STRONG COMMITMENT TO WASH
Ensuring a safe work environment for bothfarmers and workers on contracted farms has
been one of PMI’s priorities in all tobaccosourcing countries. Since the establishment of
the Agricultural Labor Practices (ALP) programin 2011, the safe work environment principle, asmentioned in PMI’s ALP Code, includes severalmeasurable standards—ranging from personal
protective equipment (PPE) availability andusage, safe and adequate accommodation toinstructions on safe handling of fertilizers andother hazardous substances. In particular, thefollowing measurable standard is specificallyrelated to WASH: Every person has accessto clean drinking and washing water close
to where they work and live.
With the introduction of the Step Change
approach in 2018, workers’ accommodation
was identified as a key priority. PMI, alongside
its third-party suppliers, have developed
and are implementing comprehensive andambitious action plans with the objective ofensuring that all workers are provided withsafe and decent accommodation by 2020.
As we continuously work to improve our ALP
program, we decided in 2020 to strengthen
our approach and not only focus on access towater (as was the case before), but to enlarge
our scope to include ambitious targets andinterventions related to sanitation and hygiene.
In order to do that, we aligned with the Joint
Monitoring Programme (JMP), established bythe World Health Organization (WHO) andUNICEF, for Water Supply, Sanitation, andHygiene, and we developed PMI’s framework
on WASH. Building on the data collected fromthe farm-by-farm monitoring and specificsurveys conducted on the field, we applied
JMP’s universal indicators to determine abaseline that helped us better understandthe current situation in our tobacco sourcing
countries and better measure the impact offuture interventions.
Analyzing this baseline, we established priority
markets to focus our actions and implementtargeted initiatives on the ground. Aligningwith the global sustainability agenda, wedecided to define concrete targets (to buildon the measurable standard mentionedabove) for access to drinking water as well as
sanitation and hygiene. These WASH targets
were communicated in our 2019 Integrated
Report:• 100 percent of contracted farmers withaccess to water by 2025.
• 100 percent of contracted farmers withaccess to basic sanitation and hygieneby 2030.

Photo credits to Eduardo Royo, PMI

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ACCESS TO WATER, SANITATION, AND HYGIENE: IMPROVING LIVELIHOODS IN OUR TOBACCO SUPPLY CHAIN ALP PROGRESS UPDATE | Q3 2020

DEFINING WASH
ACCESS TO DRINKING WATERACCESS TO BASIC SANITATIONACCESS TO HYGIENE

Access to drinking water refers toaccessibility, availability, and quality ofthe main water source used on the farmfor drinking, cooking, personal hygiene,
and other domestic uses. Improving theavailability and quality of drinking water
depends on the effective management ofboth freshwater supplies and wastewater
to maintain sufficient water quality
while reducing contamination risks. To
guarantee access to water, in line withthe basic JMP standards, the threefollowing criteria are to be met:

Safe management of human excreta is vitalfor public health and is widely recognized
as a human right. Inadequate sanitation
is closely associated with diseases,
malnutrition, and parasitic infections.
Untreated sludge and wastewater canspread disease and pollute groundwaterand surface water sources used for
drinking and recreation.

Hygiene refers to the conditions andpractices that help maintain health andprevent the spread of disease, including
but not limited to handwashing withwater and soap. According to the WHO,
these actions are among the most costeffective interventions for reducing
the transmission of diseases, to reduce
the spread of pathogens and prevent
infections, including the COVID-19
virus, and have been identified as thetop priority for hygiene monitoring.

- The water should be accessible onpremises or within 30 minutes for around trip of 1km.
- The water should be available insufficient quantity when needed.
- The water supplied should be froman improved source. 4

A safe sanitation system is designed andused to separate human excreta fromhuman contact. To guarantee accessto basic sanitation, in line with the JMP
standards, the three following criteria
are to be met:

To guarantee access to hygiene, in line with
the JMP standards, the three following
criteria are to be met:

- The sanitation facilities should beimproved.

- There should be a facility available onpremises for handwashing.

- The sanitation facilities should beaccessible on premises.

- There should be clean water available
for handwashing.

- The sanitation facilities should beenough for the people on the farm.

- There should be soap or other cleansing
agents.
Photo credits to Eduardo Royo, PMI

4. Improved drinking water sources are those that have the potential to deliver safe water. Detailed list available at:https://washdata.org/report/jmp-2018-core-questions-household-surveys

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ACCESS TO WATER, SANITATION, AND HYGIENE: IMPROVING LIVELIHOODS IN OUR TOBACCO SUPPLY CHAIN ALP PROGRESS UPDATE | Q3 2020

BUILDING ON OUR CURRENT LEARNINGS AND EXPERIENCE
Although our focus has been, until now, on safe
accommodation for workers, we are not startingfrom zero. We have been implementing many
local initiatives related to WASH, ranging fromtrainings on hygiene to refurbishing sanitation
facilities in schools to building boreholes forwater access. These are key building blocks
to address social issues and improve thelivelihoods of our contracted farmers. The
following sections outline our WASH projects
within our tobacco supply chain.

PROVIDING ACCESS TO DRINKINGWATER IN MALAWI AND MOZAMBIQUE
In many areas of Malawi and Mozambique,where PMI sources tobacco, communities lackthe appropriate infrastructure that ensures
basic WASH services. Without improved
water, local residents—particularly children
under the age of five—are more prone towaterborne illnesses that can cause debilitating
sickness and, for adults, the inability to work.
Besides the health impacts, women andchildren often spend hours a day walking toget water—time that children could spend
at school and women could invest in otherincome-generating activities.
In 2019, PMI, alongside its third-party suppliers,
began to implement the WASH program inMalawi with a focus on providing improved
water sources to our contracted tobacco
5. PMI Leaf Suppliers estimation based on field interviews

farmers. Initially, a pilot was conducted tounderstand the best approach and technology.
This was done by deploying and testing
various systems such as solar pump boreholes,
rainwater harvesting and household water
filtration systems, to analyze the impact andbenefit on tobacco growing communities.
In 2019, in Malawi, we built 43 boreholes and
20 rainwater harvesting systems and distributed
70 household filtration systems. We have also
started a WASH program in Mozambique,where we built 60 hand-pump boreholes.
Overall, these initiatives have reached andpositively impacted more than 3,500 farmers
and 81,000 community members.5
In addition to providing water access to ourfarmers, creating awareness and sharing
knowledge on best practices to ensure thelongevity of boreholes is critical. We areworking with our third-party suppliers tointeract with local community leaders and,more specifically, with women in the villages(as they are typically in charge of collectingwater) to establish “water committees.” Whena borehole is drilled, a water committee is
empowered to guarantee each borehole’s
sustainability in the long term and ensuringthat they are well maintained and kept ingood condition.
In 2020, we continue to work toward thegoal of building 43 additional hand-pumpboreholes in Malawi and 50 in Mozambique.
It is estimated that each borehole that wasbuilt in Malawi benefits over 500 people,
whereas in Mozambique the impact is evengreater: each borehole reaches over 1,000people. In parallel, PMI and its third-party
suppliers have engaged with external WASH
experts to conduct a baseline study that will
provide a solid set of data to enable us to bettermeasure the impacts of PMI interventions inthe future. We are also working to identify
and target non-functioning boreholes that
could benefit from rehabilitation.
So far, we can already see the positive impact
on local communities. When a borehole isopened, village members often perform adance—many villagers hug the borehole, and theoverall happiness of the farming communities istangible. Our WASH campaign has reinforced
our acknowledgement of the value of water,
and we are inspired to continue our projects
in Africa in order to increase the amount ofpeople who have access to improved drinking
water sources.

“This is the best thing that´s ever happened to me in 40 years of my life.”
This message came from Alena Moyena from Benoni Village, Tete Province,Mozambique, after using a borehole near her home for the very first time.
Photo credits to Eduardo Royo, PMI

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ACCESS TO WATER, SANITATION, AND HYGIENE: IMPROVING LIVELIHOODS IN OUR TOBACCO SUPPLY CHAIN ALP PROGRESS UPDATE | Q3 2020

IMPROVING SANITATION IN TOBACCOGROWINGImproving general sanitation facilities andending open defecation have been identified astop priorities within the SDG 6 (clean water andsanitation), for reducing global inequalities andcontributing to ending poverty. Unfortunately,open defecation and poor sanitation services
is a reality in many rural areas where accessto appropriate infrastructure is lacking.

adapting the existing ones. Refurbishing thesefacilities improves overall health and wellbeing for our contracted tobacco farmers andworkers. For example, as part of the agreed
action plans, one of our contracted farmers inArgentina built new structures including twotoilets and two showers that have benefited
over 15 people living on the farm.

Below are two examples demonstrating ourwork toward improving sanitation facilities
in Argentina and Pakistan.

IMPROVED SANITATION IN ARGENTINA
Through the ALP farm-by-farm monitoring
regularly conducted by PMI’s affiliate inArgentina, Massalin Particulares, fieldtechnicians assess workers’ living and working
conditions including workers’ access to improved
sanitation facilities.
During the 2019 internal monitoring, 31
farmers were found not complying with ourstandards for not having enough toilets and/orshowers for all tobacco workers living on thefarm. Where these standards were not met,
individual action plans were agreed upon withthe farmers and implemented. This included
building new toilets/showers or improving and6. Target 6.2. Available at: https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal66

ACCESS TO WATER, SANITATION, AND HYGIENE: IMPROVING LIVELIHOODS IN OUR TOBACCO SUPPLY CHAIN ALP PROGRESS UPDATE | Q3 2020

SANITATION FACILITIES IN PAKISTAN
The PMI affiliate in Pakistan, PMPKL, sources
tobacco from contracted farmers in the provinceof Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In 2019, alongside
the regular ALP farm-by-farm monitoring,an external assessment was conducted byControl Union, our specialist supply chain
auditor. Extensive analysis of the data fromthese two sources revealed a few instances inwhich the accommodation sanitation facilities
provided to workers by farmers needed
improvements. Within our contracted farmer
base, 178 accommodations were assessed tohave limited or required provision of sanitation
facilities for their workers.
A targeted initiative was then implemented byconstructing toilets with septic tank systems.
Such improvements were crucial to ensurethat workers and their family members haveaccess to improved sanitation facilities.

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ACCESS TO WATER, SANITATION, AND HYGIENE: IMPROVING LIVELIHOODS IN OUR TOBACCO SUPPLY CHAIN ALP PROGRESS UPDATE | Q3 2020

HYGIENE AS A BASIC NEED
Committing to achieving our hygiene targets
has never been more relevant than it is today.
Washing our hands with water and regularly
using cleansing agents, such as soap, is among
the most effective tools we have against
multiple illnesses (including the COVID-19virus). However, two out of five people globally
do not have access to this critical service.7 Our
2030 target of 100 percent contracted farmers
and workers having access to handwashingfacilities with soap and water is, therefore, ofparamount importance.
We have already started working toward
our 2030 target by ensuring, as a first step,that workers and farmers are aware of theimportance of good hygiene practices andhave them embedded in their day-to-dayactivities. This is achieved by providing training
and awareness-raising initiatives. These areconducted by PMI’s field technicians andlocal partners at the beginning, as well as
throughout the crop season. In Mexico, forexample, farmers and workers are not only
informed on good agricultural practices, but
are also trained on the importance of goodhygiene on the field and at home. In Indonesia,
as mentioned in our Q2 ALP Progress Update,
our tobacco suppliers implemented an initiative
to support farmers throughout the COVID-19
pandemic, delivering soap and other cleansing
agents and providing small-group training on
handwashing and hygiene practices.

7. https://washdata.org/monitoring/hygiene

In other countries, facilities are being
constructed and refurbished in order toguarantee the hygienic and healthy standards
on farms and in the provided accommodations.
Our local affiliate in Argentina, for example, putin place action plans with farmers to support
the construction of an adequate amount ofwashing facilities.

Participants in a training on hygiene in Indonesia

8ACCESS TO WATER, SANITATION, AND HYGIENE: IMPROVING LIVELIHOODS IN OUR TOBACCO SUPPLY CHAIN ALP PROGRESS UPDATE | Q3 2020

LOOKING AHEAD
Since the introduction of the ALP programin 2011, one of PMI’s principal objectives
has been to provide a decent livelihood to allcontracted farmers in its tobacco supply chain.
Strengthening the WASH component of theprogram will increase health, well-being, andequality within our farmer base.
For women and girls the impact is evengreater, as they are typically the ones whowalk long distances to collect the water for
the family. Therefore, constructing boreholes
and providing access to water facilities closer
to home, frees them to use this time toward
other activities. Furthermore, constructing
adequate sanitation facilities ensures privacy
and safety and contributes to increased school
attendance for girls.
At PMI, through the ALP program we arecommitted to achieving our WASH targets
to positively improve livelihoods of tobacco
growing communities and, in parallel, contributeto the SDGs. To reach our commitments,
we first established an internal governancemodel, with key stakeholders at different
levels within the organization setting up clear
responsibilities to drive PMI’s WASH program.
We aligned our approach with internationallyrecognized standards and defined a guidelineof requirements to support the achievementof our targets. We are currently incorporatingthese new requirements in our farm-by-farmmonitoring in all the countries from where wesource tobacco. Before the global rollout of theguideline, we will also provide training sessions
with suppliers and key stakeholders. Thesesteps will ensure consistency, standardization,
and an effective monitoring to assess WASH
conditions and address relevant issues on
the ground.
In parallel, we will continue to implement targeted
local WASH initiatives in collaboration with ourthird-party tobacco suppliers and local partners.
This will range from conducting trainings toconstructing boreholes, refurbishing sanitationand hygiene facilities and providing soap.
The impact of WASH on daily life is profound;people who have access to clean, safe, andconvenient water, sanitation, and hygiene
services experience greater dignity, privacy, andsecurity. The economic benefits of improved
facilities can increase productivity, reduce
healthcare costs, and prevent illnesses anddisabilities.
The positive impact we saw on people andcommunities from the WASH initiatives
on the ground is already significant. This
inspires us to continuously challenge ourcurrent achievements and strengthen ourALP program, adapting it to changing needs
and priorities. Enhancing WASH services, asper our 2025 and 2030 goals, will support ourkey objective to provide a decent livelihood toall contracted farmers in our tobacco supplychain and improve the overall well-being ofthe surrounding communities.

Photo credits to Eduardo Royo, PMI

9ACCESS TO WATER, SANITATION, AND HYGIENE: IMPROVING LIVELIHOODS IN OUR TOBACCO SUPPLY CHAIN ALP PROGRESS UPDATE | Q3 2020

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