Timeline of key political activity in harm reduction involving the company currently known as Philip Morris International (including when working alongside other TTCs)
| Date | Action | Instrumental strategy |
| 1953 | Philip Morris-funded TIRC launched. TIRC promises to provide ‘aid and assistance to the research effort into all phases of tobacco use and health’,114 but was in practice first of a string of organisations created for PR purposes, ‘to convince the public that the hazards of smoking had not been proven’.115 | IM |
| 1958 | Tobacco Institute launched as a tobacco industry tool for political lobbying following the concern among company CEOs that TIRC is not responding vigorously enough to the ‘attacks’ on their products.116 | IM |
| 1972 | Tobacco Institute VP of Public Relations calls for proffering new explanations for ill health among smokers, including heredity and stress.117 | IM |
| 1988 | Philip Morris- funded Center for Indoor Air Research launched. In 2003 the US Department of Justice states in court documents that the CIAR acted as a coordinating organisation for the tobacco industry’s ‘efforts to fraudulently mislead the American public about the health effects of environmental tobacco smoke exposure’.118 | IM |
| 1994 | Industry executives testify before US Congress that nicotine is not addictive despite having evidence it was since the 1960s.116 | RM, IM |
| 1995 | Philip Morris initiates Project Sunrise to form relationships with ‘moderate’ TC groups.70 | CM |
| By 2000 | Several major tobacco companies acknowledge on their websites that smoking can be addictive and harmful, presenting their carefully worded statements to suggest higher standards of corporate responsibility.119 | RM |
| 2000s | PMI starts to fund diverse media groups and attempts to participate in world events, including the World Economic Forum and G20 summit.61 | CM, RM |
| 2010s | TTCs launch own e-cigarette brands or acquire existing producers.16 120 | RM, CM |
| 2014 | PMI sets out to establish the legitimacy of tobacco companies to be a part of the regulatory debate on RRPs (reduced risk products) (‘part of solution’).74 | IM, CM |
| 2017 | PMI launches Foundation for a Smoke-Free World.16 | IM, CM |
| 2018 | PMI announces its goal is to achieve a ‘smoke-free future’.16 | RM |
| 2019 | PMI offers 1 billion pounds to NHS as part of its ‘tobacco transition fund’ in exchange for the lifting of restrictions on advertising and marketing of iqosand e-cigarettes.121 | CM |
| 2019–21 | PMI publishes ‘White Papers’ on public health science and trust and holds events on public trust in science in conjunction with Industry Transformation Coalition.45 61 122 123 | IM, RM, CM |
This timeline presents a sample of key developments and does not aim to be comprehensive.
CM, Coalition Management; IM, Information Management; PMI, Philip Morris International; RM, Reputation Management; TC, Tobacco Control; TIRC, Tobacco Industry Research Committee; TTC, transnational tobacco companies; VP, Vice-President.