7.C. Scientific session: Commercial determinants of health: impeding attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract The commercial determinants of health (CDOH) and the adverse impacts they have on health equity globally, have recently emerged as an innovative growing field of research in public health. The corporate playbook comprises a myriad of strategies and tactics that aim to enhance profitability for the commercial actors, while harming health and posing grave risks to planetary health for current and future generations. The literature however, rarely explicitly makes the connection between commercial determinants and the impact they have on the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set out by the United Nations in 2015. This workshop aims to use the commercial determinants of health framework as a new approach to draw attention to, and make linkages between, commercial determinants and the challenges they pose to the attainment of several if not all the global SDGs. The four presentations showcase exemplars of the commercial determinants to include the firearms industry, fossil fuel industry, food industry and the tobacco industry focusing on impacts in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The workshop will start with a brief overview of the CDOH framework, their corporate playbook, and the progress in SDG attainment globally while presenting the first case on the firearms industry trade impacting armed conflicts that impede SDG 3 (good health and wellbeing), 10 (reduced inequalities), and 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions). The second presentation will discuss how the fossil fuel industry uses greenwashing tactics to conceal its harmful activities thereby compromising SDGs 7 (affordable and clean energy), 11 (sustainable cities and communities), and 13 (climate action). The third presentation will address how the tobacco industry impedes the advancement of SDG 3, 8 (decent work and economic growth), 13 (climate action) and 17 (partnerships for the goals) perpetuated by national system level attributes. The last presentation will showcase how the food industry challenges SDG 3 in its production of ultra-processed foods. The workshop will draw on evidence from LMICs, but is also eye opening for high-income countries of Europe which face industry interference in social and health policymaking progress in SGD attainment. The audience will be engaged in a short warm-up exercise at the start of the workshop through an app for real-time feedback accessed through a QR code on the screen, and will interact with the presenters at the end of the workshop if time permits. Key messages • All commercial actors pose a direct or indirect threat to progress in attaining the SDGs. • The commercial determinants of health pose are in direct contradiction to the SDG 17 through their corporate playbook.