Imposing “biodegradable” filters: behind a false solution, the tobacco industry lobby

A British campaign wants to force tobacco manufacturers to replace cigarette filters with "biodegradable" ones. The measure, supported by various MPs and having been the subject of an amendment, nevertheless appears to be a false solution to the health and environmental problem that the filter represents. Above all, the campaign seems to be closely linked to a lobbying operation by the tobacco industry itself.

The Plastic Free Butt campaign is warning about the environmental hazards of cigarette butts. According to a report published by the Keep Britain Tidy charity, cigarette butts are the most commonly thrown away item of waste in the UK, with only a minority of them ending up in the bin (13%)[1]. However, these cigarette butts, essentially composed of a plastic filter, are by nature non-biodegradable, and are particularly polluting waste, particularly for waterways, seas and oceans. In total, nearly four million cigarette butts are thrown away each day in the United Kingdom.

Parliamentary and public support

As a result, the Plastic Free Butt campaign claims to want to force tobacco manufacturers to turn the page on plastic filters, and to generalize the introduction of "biodegradable" filters, developed by the company Greenbutts. With this in mind, an amendment was tabled by MP Caroline Dinenage, and supported by MPs from various persuasions, such as Mary Glindon (Labour Party) and Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat). The proposal also appears to be supported by a large part of the population, as shown by a poll carried out by Whitestone Insight on behalf of the campaign, indicating that 86% of Britons believe that cigarette manufacturers should be forced to replace the plastics used in cigarette butts with fully biodegradable alternatives.

Why is the “biodegradable” filter not a solution for the environment?

While replacing plastic filters with biodegradable filters may seem a priori be a common sense measure, various public health and environmental organizations, relying on scientific literature, emphasize the counterproductive nature of such a measure. First, most so-called "biodegradable" plastics are only biodegradable under specific and cumulative conditions, rarely found in the environment (temperature above 50°, high humidity, presence of certain micro-organisms). Thus, these filters are only truly biodegradable under industrial conditions, very rarely reproduced in nature, and even less in an aquatic environment. Furthermore, tobacco product filters, whether or not they are made of plastic, become highly toxic waste once they have been consumed, and release thousands of extremely harmful chemicals, such as heavy metals or radioactive substances (polonium). Furthermore, the "biodegradable" designation of this new generation of filters could encourage consumers to think that cigarette butts can be thrown away without impacting the environment.

The lack of health benefits of filters

Beyond the environmental aspect, the lack of health benefits of the filter is now a fact widely documented by the scientific literature. Indeed, the filter is an innovation of the tobacco industry, leading the smoker to take deeper and more prolonged puffs, thereby increasing the addictiveness and toxicity of tobacco. In this way, not only does the filter not lead to any risk reduction for the smoker, but its widespread use has resulted in an increase in pulmonary adenocarcinomas, a malignant lung tumor responsible for nearly 30% of lung cancers. Marketed as a risk reduction tool, the filter tends to blur smokers' perception of the real dangers that smoking poses to their health. Thus, the filter facilitates the initiation of smoking (by reducing the acrid and unpleasant nature of the first experience), and discourages people from quitting. Recent studies on the subject show that cigarettes with a filter are still perceived as less dangerous, especially by younger generations. For all these reasons, many anti-smoking organizations, as well as environmental associations, are calling on the public authorities to ban all filters for tobacco products, whether they are made of plastic or presented as biodegradable.

Greenbutts, a company directly linked to the tobacco industry

The filter ban could result in a significant denormalization of all tobacco products, and a decrease in smoking prevalence, particularly among young people. As a result, the tobacco industry, anticipating the adoption of such a measure in the medium or long term, is seeking to develop pseudo-solutions to maintain the attractiveness of its products, including the development of "biodegradable" filters. Thus, the "Plastic free butt" campaign, under the guise of environmental responsibility, proposes to replace plastic filters with "biodegradable" filters, produced by the company Greenbutts. However, a quick search on the company's website indicates that Luis Sanches, Greenbutts' strategic director, has "held several management positions during his long career at British American Tobacco (BAT)" and was senior vice president of research and development at Reynolds American[2]. Similarly, Greenbutts' advisor, Peter Dobson, a former product manager at British American Tobacco for the Dunhill and Pall Mall brands, is presented on the website as a sensory "guru". Finally, Dan Kriznic, also an advisor to Greenbutts, is also the founder of High Standard Capital, a mergers and acquisitions advisory firm, having "participated in transactions of over $500 million, mainly focused on large tobacco companies". Reading these elements, it appears that the proposal, presented as a restrictive measure for manufacturers, seems more to be a lobbying operation directly or indirectly organized by the tobacco industry, with a view to neutralizing the regulatory risk of a total ban on filters, while asserting its social and environmental responsibility.

FT

[1] The Independent, This British invention could stop the world's biggest cause of plastic pollution, 06/02/2025, (accessed 10/02/2025)

[2] Greenbutts, Cigarette butts are the single greatest source of ocean trash, (accessed 02/10/2025)