British Museum Snuffs Out Tobacco Sponsorship over Concerns Related to International Health Pact

"JTI, whose cigarette brands include Silk Cut and Camel, has had the run of the museum's galleries for private events and its own filming,"

"Campaigners said that access allowed JTI to meet policymakers and 'launder' its reputation,"

"when it comes to corporate sponsorship, the British Museum is morally bankrupt. The health impacts of tobacco products and fossil fuel pollution are undeniable-and yet the only reason the museum seems to have ditched JTI is bec"

The British Museum terminated a 15-year sponsorship agreement with Japan Tobacco International amid concerns that the arrangement violated the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The United Kingdom was a founding signatory of the FCTC in 2004. The Department of Health and Social Care raised apprehensions with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, which provides the museum with about £75 million annually. The JTI partnership funded acquisition of over 2,400 Japanese objects, a curatorial post for Japanese material, an African heritage tour, and equality and diversity training for volunteers. JTI also used museum galleries for private events and filming. Campaigners argued the sponsorship enabled JTI to meet policymakers, launder its reputation, and aid recruitment despite the tobacco industry's health harms, and critics compared the issue to the museum's prior BP sponsorship controversy.

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