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9th January 2025
Environment & Sustainability
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Global business and regulatory news covering the alternative tobacco industry
Daily regulatory updates of the tobacco alternative sector. It includes weekly podcasts and monthly compilations
19th March 2025
- Global: The fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) on the international plastics treaty, which was supposed to be the last one (held in Busan, South Korea, and closed on 1st December 2024), has been split into two parts. The main goal was to finalise the text of an international legally binding instrument on plastics pollution. During the previous session (INC-4) in Ottawa, Canada, several countries urged for a ban on cigarette filters to be included in the treaty – a call that was also supported by the World Health Organization. Action on Smoking & Health (ASH) US, an independent public health charity, reported that in December 2024 it was announced that the consensus on the text was not reached and that negotiations would continue during a subsequent session. A revised draft text was also released, with cigarette filters made of plastic remaining in an optional annex. The second part of the fifth session (INC-5.2) is scheduled to take place from 5th to 14th August 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland.
13th March 2025
- EU: A letter signed by 362 civil society organisations calls on the European Parliament and Council to reject the omnibus package that seeks to weaken due diligence reporting rules, media reports. The omnibus package would remove around 80% of companies from the scope of the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and delay reporting timelines for companies in the scope of both the CSRD and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, media reports. We believe that if meeting the requirements, vaping and tobacco companies would also need to adhere to the rules.
28th February 2025
- EU: The European Commission has developed new proposals (Omnibus packages) that would simplify some EU rules. One of the aims is to make sustainability reporting more accessible and efficient, as well as simplify due diligence. The Omnibus package would remove around 80% of companies from the scope of the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and delay reporting timelines for companies in the scope of both the CSRD and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, media reports. The proposals will be submitted to the European Parliament and the European Council for consideration and adoption. We believe vaping and tobacco companies that meet the requirements would also need to adhere to the new rules.
26th February 2025
- Belgium: Sanne van Looy, a member of the New Flemish Alliance (NVA), has expressed the will to restart a tobacco waste reduction project in the Flemish region, which had previously been proposed by former Flemish minister of the environment, Zuhal Demir (NVA). Van Looy says this project will result in the tobacco industry bearing the cost of cleaning up cigarette butt waste. The current Flemish minister of the environment, Jo Brouns (Christian Democratic and Flemish party), has also agreed to restart the project.
19th February 2025
- Portugal: The Single-Use Plastics Management Association (ÚNICO) has been granted a licence to operate Portugal’s first extended producer responsibility system for managing waste from tobacco products with filters. ÚNICO brings together companies that place tobacco products on the market – British American Tobacco, Imperial Brands Portugal, JTI Portugal, Landewick and Tabaqueira – and Electrão, the Waste Management Association. This initiative is a result of the EU Single-Use Plastic Directive, and ÚNICO will assist companies in complying with these new regulations through extended producer responsibility systems, ensuring that producers contribute financially to waste prevention and collection as part of urban cleaning efforts. The directive mandates that costs be shared proportionally among producers to support these services.
17th December 2024
- EU: Yesterday (16th December), the European Council formally adopted the proposal for a regulation on Packaging and Packaging Waste (a revision of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive). The proposal aims to make packaging easier to reuse and recycle, to reduce unnecessary packaging and waste, and to promote the use of recycled content. The regulation is expected to affect packaging requirements for tobacco and vaping products and will next be published in the EU’s official journal. The regulation will be applied 18 months after the date of entry into force.
29th November 2024
- Global: The fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) on the international plastics treaty is currently taking place in Busan, South Korea, and will run until 1st December. The main goal is to finalise the text of an international legally binding instrument on plastics pollution. During the previous session of INC-4 in Ottawa, Canada, several countries urged for a ban on cigarette filters to be included in the treaty – a call that was also supported by the World Health Organization.
14th October 2024
- EU: Today, the Council has adopted a new regulation on the classification, labelling, and packaging of chemical substances (CLP), updating the existing 2008 EU legislation. The revised regulation clarifies labelling issues, such as readability and digital labelling, and increases compliance with CLP for online sales of chemicals. The amendment seeks, among other things, to improve the harmonised classification of chemicals and clarify rules on hazard labelling, etc. This may impose additional obligations on the producers of vaping or tobacco products in relation to chemicals that may be contained in them.
14th October 2024
- Global: International E-waste Day is celebrated today (14th October). The yearly awareness-raising day initiated by the WEEE Forum – an international association of organisations of electronics manufacturers and importers – aims to highlight the growing issue of e-waste and promote responsible e-waste management. Products with electrical or electronic components, including vaping or heated tobacco devices with batteries, should be part of the recycling stream. This year’s slogan, “Join the e-waste hunt – retrieve, recycle, and revive!” highlights the importance of addressing the unused electronics stored in homes, which often contain valuable materials that can be recycled and given a new purpose.
8th October 2024
- New Zealand: Health authorities have told TobaccoIntelligence that the requirements for selling reusable vaping products with removable batteries and child-safety mechanisms, which entered into force on 1st October 2024, also apply to heated tobacco devices, as they are classified as vaping devices.
20th September 2024
- Denmark: The Ministry of Health has notified a bill to the European Commission’s TRIS database to amend an order on requirements concerning packaging, extended producer responsibility for packaging, and other waste collected with packaging waste. The order implements the existing and expected legal bases of the Environmental Protection Act to lay down rules on extended producer responsibility for packaging. The standstill period ends on 17th December.
9th July 2024
- France: The Regional Health Agency (ARS) of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, which includes Lyon, France’s third-largest city, has unveiled a new regional action plan that aims to reduce tobacco use. This initiative specifically targets young people and aligns with the National Tobacco Control Programme (PNLT). The plan supports the goal of achieving the first tobacco-free generation by 2032. It sets out three axes for action: preventing entry into smoking, supporting smokers – especially vulnerable ones – to quit smoking, and preserving the environment from tobacco-related pollution.
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Detailed legal reports outlining industry regulation, analysis of the laws, and compliance requirements
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Up-to-date information about current regulations around the world
