According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “The tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced, killing more than 8 million people a year around the world. More than 7 million of those deaths are the result of direct tobacco use while around 1.2 million are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke.” Globally, 181 nations and other parties have ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which commits them to reduce tobacco’s toll worldwide and specifically recognizes the tobacco industry as a threat to global health. Yet, U.S. retirement plans are still heavily invested in this deadly industry. This report analyzes the high exposure of tobacco investments in popular mutual funds that are offered as part of 401(k) retirement plans at many major U.S. corporations— specifically, tobacco exposure in the biggest U.S. healthcare and health-centric companies’ retirement plans.
