We recognize that our actions trigger others, a chain reaction, if you will, and the impacts are far-reaching. We call that “the ripple effect”, and we work every day mindful of our responsibility to make a sustainable impact on the people and communities that we depend on as well as the planet that sustains us all. As industry leader, our first priority must be to focus attention and resources on factors affecting sustainability throughout the supply chain, including, reforestation, water conservation, reduced carbon emissions, child labor and environmentally sensitive agricultural practices. However, we also know that our actions have a powerful impact on the lives of hundreds of thousands of people on five continents—farmers, employees and families in rural communities. That’s why we’re committed to investing in infrastructure and social programs that improve living conditions, promote education and make communities stronger and healthier. One of our most successful public service initiatives to date is Project Water Guardian in Vera Cruz, the heart of Brazil’s tobacco-producing region. We partnered with the Altadis Foundation (a nonprofit organization owned by Imperial Tobacco) to improve the area’s water quality. The results turned out to be better than we expected. Not only did water quality drastically improve, but the program was so successful that the local government is taking over the project and will continue to fund it for the foreseeable future. Bamboo is the single most important non-timber forest product in the Philippines.