Tobacco kills 7 million people around the world each year, including 890,000 non-smokers who are exposed to tobacco smoke.  In China alone, tobacco kills 1 million people annually. More than 700 million people are exposed to secondhand smoke every day, resulting in 100,000 deaths every year.

China needs a national smoke-free law to protect all citizens from deadly exposure to secondhand smoke.  A comprehensive national ban on smoking in Chinese offices alone is estimated to reduce the prevalence of smoking among Chinese men by 13 million and avert 6 million premature deaths over a 50-year period.

Smoke-free environments help de-normalize the act of smoking and provide an environment conducive for smokers to kick the habit. Smoking in the workplace also raises operational costs and reduces productivity by adversely affecting the health of workers. Making workplaces completely smoke-free is an effective way to protect the health of employees and improve the bottom line.

In 2018, WHO China invited businesses to stamp out smoking in workplaces across the country and protect employees by joining the “My Right Your Responsibility” campaign. By December 2018, more than sixty companies in China representing more than 410,000 employees joined us in a firm commitment to put long-term health above short-term profits.