Treaty on plastic pollution: 130 associations call for banning cigarette filters

The negotiations for the global treaty against plastic pollution, which are being held in Paris from May 29 to June 2, 2023, are an opportunity for health and environmental stakeholders to demand the elimination of cigarette filters, one of the main sources of plastic pollution in the world.

Cigarette filters are particularly criticized by anti-smoking activists, both for their uselessness, for the false beliefs they generate and for their environmental impact. While cigarette filters only provide "comfort" for smokers and allow them to be less irritated by the smoke they inhale, they do not retain any of the thousands of chemical and toxic molecules that make up tobacco smoke. However, filters maintain a false sense of security among smokers and allow them to inhale the smoke more deeply, which has the effect of reinforcing nicotine addiction and promoting more severe forms of cancer, such as adenocarcinoma.

Made primarily of cellulose acetate – a form of plastic – cigarette filters are one of the leading causes of plastic pollution. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 4,500 billion cigarette butts – out of the 6,000 billion cigarettes consumed – are thrown on the ground each year. They pollute not only the soil, but also waterways and oceans, at a rate of 500 liters of water for a single cigarette butt. Removing these filters would therefore both reduce the appeal of cigarettes and preserve the environment.

Removing filters remains the only relevant option

Grouped together within the Stop Tobacco Pollution Alliance (STPA), health and environmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are calling on the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-2) to address the issue of these cigarette filters. They are referring to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the first international health treaty, ratified by 182 parties and which recommends that tobacco manufacturers be held liable for the environmental damage caused by their products. Collection or recycling of cigarette butts, filters biodegradable, strengthening of regulations, no viable solution currently seems to effectively address the problems posed by cigarette butts. In Belgium and the Netherlands, public authorities have already taken a position in favour of a ban on cigarette filters.

Highlighting the experience of the FCTC, NGOs are calling for strong and binding wording for the treaty against plastic pollution, which leaves little room for interpretation. They suggest introducing into this treaty the notions of reuse, refilling and reduction of plastic production, banning the most harmful plastics and considering plastic products from the perspective of their total lifespan.

The Paris session is only the second of five stages in the negotiation process on the treaty against plastic pollution. It is currently marked by discussions on rules of procedure and has not yet really addressed substantive issues. The following sessions will take place in 2023 and 2024, in order to finalize this treaty by the end of 2024 and hope to achieve a plastic-free world by 2040.

To learn more about the issue of filters, see our decryption.

Keywords: plastic pollution, cigarette butts, filters, CCLAT, STPA.

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