PJ Carroll (BAT Ireland) - PJ Carroll (BAT Ireland)

PJ Carroll is one of Ireland’s oldest continuously operating businesses, founded by Patrick James Carroll in the North East town of Dundalk over 190 years ago, in 1824. P. J. Carroll grew from a small shop to be one of the largest employers in the Dundalk region. We ceased operation at that site in 2008 and are proud that our factory is still an important part of the community as it has now become the campus of the Dundalk Institute of Technology.

PJ Carroll is part of the BAT Group. BAT is a leading, multi-category consumer goods business. Founded in 1902, today the Group is a truly global company –it employs more than 53,000 people worldwide, operates in over 180 markets and has factories in more than 40 countries. The Group’s global business is divided into four regions and covers over 150 million consumers and 11 million retail points of sale, with a balanced presence in both high-growth emerging markets and developed markets.

BAT’s portfolio comprises combustible tobacco products, such as cigarettes, alongside a range of non-combustible products. These include New Categories of potentially reduced-risk products –vapour and tobacco heating products and modern oral products, including tobacco-free nicotine pouches –as well as traditional oral products, such as snus and moist snuff.

The Group’s purpose is to build A Better Tomorrow by reducing the health impact of its business through offering a greater choice of enjoyable and less risky products for our consumers. It will evolve its growth model through the development of a portfolio in tobacco, nicotine and beyond, meeting consumers’ evolving needs for enjoyment and satisfaction. While cigarettes will be at the core of its business for some time to come, the Group aims to generate an increasingly greater proportion of revenue from products other than cigarettes and so reduce the health impact of its business.

You can read more about our Group’s purpose and strategy on our corporate website, bat.com .

BAT’s approach to sustainability

Today BAT is transitioning from being a business where sustainability has always been important to one where it is front and centre in everything that it does.

The Group has made significant progress on its sustainability journey, as reflected by its presence in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices for many years and the other notable independent recognition it has received.

BAT’s strategy has evolved with the purpose of delivering A Better Tomorrow for all our stakeholders. At its heart, the strategy is about anticipating and satisfying the ever-evolving consumer: providing pleasure, reducing risk and offering increasing choice.

Central to the strategy is the Group’s updated sustainability agenda which reflects our changing external environment. Specifically, we are clear that reducing the health impact of our business is our principal focus area, as well as placing a greater emphasis on the importance of addressing climate change and excellence in environmental management. At the same time, we remain committed to delivering a positive social impact and ensuring robust corporate governance across the Group.

BAT is committed to making a step change in its sustainability ambition. It has announced stretching targets that it is confident will accelerate its purpose to deliver A Better Tomorrow for all stakeholders, including:

•  increasing consumers of non-combustible products to 50 million by 2030
•  achieving carbon neutrality by 2030 and accelerating the Group’s existing environmental targets to 2025
•  eliminating unnecessary single-use plastic and making all plastic packaging recyclable by 2025.

You can read more about BAT’s sustainability agenda and progress against it in the Group’s latest Sustainability Strategy Report and ESG Report.

Youth Access Prevention

PJ Carroll strongly supports the need for legislation to outlaw sales of vapour products to under-18s. In February 2020, PJ Carroll launched our Verify training tool which trains shop owners and staff in how to ensure under-18s cannot purchase vaping products.