BAT Rothmans selects 10 college teams to compete in ESG idea contest

British American Tobacco has selected 10 teams of college students for an idea contest focused on sustainability.

BAT Rothmans, the South Korean business arm of the international tobacco group, said Monday it has started a five month-long ESG campaign by holding an orientation for the 10 college teams, who will compete to win prizes based on their suggestions on eco-friendly business ideas.

The selected teams are from Seoul National University, Yonsei University, Korea University, Konkuk University, University of Seoul, Chungnam National University, Yeongnam University and Sunchon National University. The teams were selected from reviews of environment experts and BAT employees.

Throughout the five-month-long program, the teams will be given 2 million won ($1,520) each and mentoring sessions to develop their ideas in detail and put them into practice.

In November, the teams will attend a forum to announce their progress and hold discussions on select topics. Five teams will be selected to be given prizes based on their works. The total amount set aside for rewards is 10 million won.

“We are grateful to all of the college students who have contributed creative ideas for the campaign,” a BAT Rothmans official said in a statement.

“BAT Rothmans will work to prepare a foundation of growth for future talent wanting to bring changes to environment by providing opportunities and support measures for them to consistently develop themselves.”

Under the slogan of “A Better Tomorrow,” BAT Rothmans has been launching various ESG campaigns since 2017, including hackathons, diverse talent campaigns and social promotions.

By Ko Jun-tae (ko.juntae@heraldcorp.com)