Our Impact in North America

In North America, we purchase tobacco in Canada, Guatemala and the United States. We have made significant investments to minimize the environmental impact of tobacco production, improve working conditions for those involved in tobacco production and support the sustainability of our grower base.

Reducing the environmental impact of our operations is a top priority for our North American origins. In the United States, Alliance One was one of three companies recognized by the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources for its efforts to reduce electricity use. By using energy efficiency measures, Alliance One was able to reduce its electricity use by 1.8 million Kwh/year and reduce fuel use by 10,000 MMBtu/year in four of our United States facilities.

In Guatemala, the majority of our tobacco is planted along the South Coast, which is home to many species of fish, crustaceans, mollusks and native birds. To protect this rich biodiversity, Alliance One partners with a university on a campaign to protect local mangroves. Alliance One is also encouraging growers to preserve natural forests through wood management initiatives. As part of our wood programs, we have provided growers with 445,300 fast-growing tree seedlings and 4,000 fruit seeds.

In each origin, we are focused on helping tobacco growers understand the principles of our Agricultural Labor Practices program. In the United States, we recognize that some of the more systemic challenges can be best resolved by working with external stakeholders. To that end, Alliance One is actively engaged in the Farm Labor Practices Group (FLPG), a multi-stakeholder initiative committed to improving farm labor practices on farms and enhancing the farmworker experience. Through the FLPG and partnerships with our customers, we have engaged in the development of farmer training material and have hosted multiple on-farm safety trainings for farmers and workers.

For more information about our sustainability programs in North America, and around the world, check out our sustainability reports.