Future plastic treaty must include avoidable pollution from tobacco products, says NGO alliance

The fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop a legally binding international instrument to limit plastic pollution (INC-4) begins today and will run until 29 April in Ottawa, Canada. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), grouped within the Stop Tobacco Pollution Alliance (STPA), are calling for the future treaty to address avoidable pollution from tobacco products and nicotine, including by banning cigarette filters and disposable vaping devices.

Massive pollution from tobacco and nicotine products

Cigarette filters are the leading form of plastic waste in the world – 4,500 billion are thrown into nature each year. Cigarette filters are made from cellulose acetate, which only degrades under specific biological circumstances. It takes up to 15 years for them to completely degrade. They can release up to 7,000 chemical substances and are the main contaminant of human origin in all oceans. In France alone, it is estimated that 20 to 25,000 tonnes of cigarette butts are thrown into nature each year, the equivalent of the weight of two Eiffel Towers. The National Committee against Smoking (CNCT) also points out that the filter is only a marketing tool designed by the tobacco industry to recruit new consumers and has no health justification for smokers.[1].

Plastic pollution is also aggravated by the rise of new nicotine products, particularly disposable vaping devices. These devices, made of plastic, electronic circuits and heavy metals, are difficult to recycle and very rarely recycled. A study by the NGO Material Focus estimated that in the United Kingdom, in 2022, 138 million disposable e-cigarettes had been sold, enough copper to make 2,500 electric vehicle batteries and 370,000 chargers for these vehicles.

The ban on filters, a measure supported by the World Health Organization

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the secretariat of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) support the immediate ban of cigarette filters as avoidable problematic plastics and also recall that the participation of civil society is essential to achieve the objectives of the plastic treaty.

During the last session of the Conference of the Parties to the WHO FCTC in February 2024 in Panama, the 183 Parties to the treaty adopted, among other things, a decision on the " environmental concerns related to tobacco, in accordance with Article 18 of the WHO FCTC "This important decision recognizes that “Plastic cigarette filters are non-essential, avoidable, problematic, single-use plastics that are widely present in the environment, killing microorganisms and marine life, and polluting the oceans "The decision highlights the pollution of soil and water by toxic waste from the tobacco industry, including batteries, plastic cartridges and metals.

Finally, STPA requests that the WHO treaty, the FCTC, be included in the preamble of the future plastic treaty, arguing that the latter, ratified by 183 Parties, includes the environmental dimension and that it is important to create synergy with other United Nations treaties.

The tobacco industry must not be a party to these negotiations.

The associations recall the importance of protect environmental and health interests against the commercial and private interests of the tobacco industry. For example, the ban on cigarette filters should not be used to justify the creation of alternatives such as so-called "biodegradable" filters by the tobacco industry which would allow smoking to continue or even increase and would have no positive impact on the environment.

Also, for STPA members, the tobacco industry should be held financially responsible for the costs of cleaning up tobacco product waste according to the polluter pays principle. However, to be effective, this mechanism must not be misused by tobacco manufacturers as an opportunity for communication or Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities in order to benefit from a more positive image.

Keywords: Plastic treaty, INC4, pollution, plastic, environment, filter, CSR

©Generation Without Tobacco

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[1] Press release, Plastic treaty negotiations: future treaty must include avoidable pollution from tobacco products, CNCT, published on April 23, 2024, consulted the same day