Author: Marissa Dean

PMI Releases Integrated Report

Image: PMI
Philip Morris International released its fourth annual Integrated Report. Informed by a formal sustainability materiality assessment, the report aims to provide an objective description of the company’s business model, governance and management, strategy and performance.
“Despite its many tests, 2022 was a remarkable year that brought our employees closer and saw us make measurable strides toward achieving our purpose,” said Jacek Olczak, CEO of PMI. “We are progressing toward our 2025 aspiration of becoming a majority smoke-free company and ultimately phase out cigarettes. While a transformation of this magnitude and complexity cannot be achieved overnight, we are committed to making it happen as fast as possible. It is through constructive engagement that we will accelerate the pace of meaningful and impactful change and complete our transformation for good.”
Building on its ESG framework, PMI developed eight strategies targeting the company’s most pressing areas of impact. To accompany these eight strategies, PMI established 11 goals, which form the basis of its 2025 Roadmap, and 19 key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure progress via its Sustainability Index. Each KPI is also aligned with one of two drivers: product sustainability (11 KPIs) or operational sustainability (8 KPIs).
“Nonfinancial information is increasingly being used by external stakeholders to assess and compare a company’s performance to others, including the financial community in their analyses and investment decisions. It is key to the integrity of PMI’s reporting that the information and data that we publicly disclose accurately reflect our company’s progress, following clear calculation methods,” explained Emmanuel Babeau, chief financial officer of PMI.
April 5, 2023
Greentank Gets Millions for Vape Technology

Image: Tobacco Reporter archive
Vape hardware manufacturer Greentank Technologies closed a Series B financing round worth $16.5 million with an unspecified “strategic investor group” that includes Canadian cannabis producer Organigram Holdings.
The funding will be used to launch new vape technology, which Greentank CEO Dustin Koffler said in a statement, “moves away from the traditional ceramic and wicked coil systems commonly used in most vaporizer products today.”
The technology “is expected to launch later this year and serve multiple markets beyond cannabis,” Toronto-based Greentank said in a news release, according to MJ Biz Daily.
The $16.5 million funding round includes a $14.5 million equity investment from the investment group plus $2 million in debt financing from existing shareholders.
The terms of the debt financing were not disclosed.
In a statement, Greentank said its new vape technology “will expand its reach beyond cannabis to serve the broader vape category, including nicotine, e-liquids, pharmaceuticals and more.”
April 4, 2023
Palau Makes Sale and Use of Vapes Illegal

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The island nation of Palau has outlawed e-cigarettes and other vaping products after President Surangel Whipps signed a law for “a total ban on the import, advertising, sale and use of e-cigarettes,” reports the NZ Herald.
The law—RPPL 11-27—has expanded the country’s Tobacco Control Act to include e-cigarettes and will come into effect 60 days after being enacted.
Beginning May 29, businesses and individuals can be prosecuted if found with e-cigarette products.
Individuals who are caught violating the law could face a $1,000 fine, and businesses or persons importing, distributing and/or selling the product could face a $20,000 fine.
The initial bill was introduced in the Palau National Congress in July last year.
April 4, 2023
Georgia Bill Would Criminalize Vaping

Image: Tobacco Reporter archive
A Georgia, USA, bill, Senate Bill 47, would criminalize the use of vapor products in public spaces, reports Filter.
If the bill is passed, it would ban vaping in all public spaces in which combustible cigarettes are banned under the Georgia 2005 Smoke Free Air Act. Those caught breaking the law would be fined between $100 and $500. The bill would also prosecute public vaping violations as misdemeanors—in Georgia, this means incarceration of up to a year and the inability to obtain certain jobs.
Under the legislation, the definition of smoking would be revised to “such term includes the use of an electronic smoking device which creates an aerosol or vapor or the use of any oral smoking device for the purpose of circumventing the prohibition of smoking.”
April 4, 2023
Study: Smoking Outside Still Harms Kids

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A new study out of Israel shows that even when adults smoke outside, six out of 10 kids are at risk from tobacco smoke harm, according to The Jerusalem Post.
Researchers from Tel Aviv University tested for the presence of nicotine in the hair of children whose parents smoke. Data analysis showed that among smoking families who restricted smoking to porches or outdoors, 62 percent of children were exposed to tobacco smoke.
The first stage of the study, published two years ago, showed that 70 percent of children in smoking families, regardless of smoking location, had measurable hair nicotine content, but now the researchers have examined the data by location.
“Smoking should be avoided within a range of at least 10 meters from the house—and in open areas, smoking should be kept to a distance of at least 10 meters away from children,” the researchers wrote in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
“The Israeli situation is of great concern because in many cases, porches in Israel are directly adjacent to the living areas and may even be partially open some of the time; the proximity allows smoke to drift from those areas to the interior of the house,” said Leah (Laura) Rosen, head researcher and professor at the School of Public Health in Tel Aviv University’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine. “The parents mistakenly believe that the porch offers a ‘safe’ place to smoke. In fact, the children are likely to be directly exposed when they come out to the porch and someone is smoking or when smoke drifts into the house.
“Once in the home, the smoke is absorbed into the environment, for example, into the furniture or walls or rugs, and is then gradually discharged into the air over weeks or months. Further, this residual smoke, known as thirdhand smoke, can be absorbed into the body from the environment via swallowing or through the skin, especially among infants and small children. In addition, smoking parents transmit the toxins from the tobacco smoke on their skin, on their hands, in their hair and on their clothing, so it is recommended to brush teeth, wash hands and change clothes after smoking before making contact with children.”
“The results of this study show that among smoking families, restricting smoking to the porch does not protect most children from exposure to tobacco smoke,” Rosen said. “Therefore, the health ministry’s approach, which opposes protection for individuals from smoke incursion into their own homes in order to protect the smokers’ children, does not protect the children of smokers, and in addition, it can cause substantial harm to neighbors and the children of neighbors.
“We ask the health ministry to reconsider its stand in light of these findings. Israel must make the reduction of parental smoking a national goal and invest the appropriate resources in this issue. Unfortunately, there are many misconceptions regarding when and how the exposure occurs. Eighty-five percent of tobacco smoke is invisible, and our sense of smell is not reliable, so many parents mistakenly believe that they are protecting their children while in fact they are exposing them to substantial health risks. As a society, we must safeguard citizens and distance everyone from the risks of tobacco smoke exposure, especially infants and children, pregnant women and all vulnerable populations.”
April 4, 2023
Singapore Officials Seize Vaping Products

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Authorities in Singapore seized more than 85,000 vaping products in a warehouse raid conducted by Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority (HSA), reports Channel News Asia.
This is the largest seizure of e-cigarettes and other vaping products by HSA, surpassing a haul in 2021 where more than SGD2.2 million ($3 million) worth of products were confiscated, said HSA and the Singapore police in a joint press release. The latest seizure has an estimated value of more than $5 million.
The raid was the result of HSA following up on leads from investigating a group of people suspected of selling illegal vaping products.
On March 28, six individuals were detained by the police at a multi-story car park at Block 592 Montreal Link. “The driver of a van was allegedly found to be distributing parcels containing e-vaporizers to five persons purportedly assisting in the delivery to buyers,” said the authorities.
Under the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act, it is an offense to import, sell or distribute vape products.
Those found guilty for the first time can be fined up to SGD10,000, jailed for up to six months or both.
Subsequent offenses double the penalties to a fine of up to SGD20,000, a jail term of up to a year or both.
Vaping is illegal in Singapore. The purchase, use and possession of all vaping products are also prohibited.
April 3, 2023
Vape Manufacturers Must Register

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Following the removal of nicotine e-liquid or gel from the Poisons Act 1952 to allow for e-cigarettes and vaping products to be taxed in Malaysia, local manufacturers producing e-liquid or gel products containing nicotine must register their manufacturing activities with the Customs Department by April 30, according to the Ministry of Finance (MOF), reports The Edge Markets and Free Malaysia Today.
“Early registration within this prescribed period may prevent manufacturers from being charged a compound for the offense of late registration. This early registration will ensure comprehensive industry compliance and smooth tax collection by May 2023,” the MOF said in a statement.
This follows the imposition of an excise tax of 40 sen ($0.004) per milliliter on nicotine e-liquids or gels.
Prime Minister and Finance Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced the government’s plan to impose an excise tax on liquid or gel products containing nicotine when he re-tabled Budget 2023 in February.
The previous government under Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s administration also proposed to extend tax collection from gel or liquid products containing nicotine for vapes and e-cigarettes in the tabling of Budget 2022 by imposing a tax of RM1.20 per milliliter. However, the plan was postponed because nicotine vape liquid was still classified as a Class C poison under the Poisons Act.
The new excise duty, the MOF said, would enable the government to tax the vape industry, which is estimated to be worth over RM2 billion ($454 million), and at the same time help discourage the use of vapes.
It will also help improve rules and control of excise duty goods by customs to avoid leakage of national income, according to media reports.
April 3, 2023
Innovation Hub

Photo: Stefanie Rossel
Northern Italy provides the perfect business environment for pioneering tobacco companies and their suppliers.
By Stefanie Rossel
Sale et tabacchi, the inscription on the logo of Italian tobacconist shops, still speaks of tobacco’s long history on the peninsula. It calls to mind the country’s monopoly on salt and tobacco in colonial times. Today, Italy is the European Union’s largest producer of leaf tobacco, with an annual production of 50 million kg, representing a market share of 27 percent.
Statista values the country’s tobacco products market at almost $25 billion. Italy is also one of the few countries in the Western world where the tobacco business is expected to grow, albeit only slightly, over the next few years. Novel nicotine-delivery products play an increasingly important role: In Europe, the heated-tobacco products (HTP) category is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 24.9 percent until 2025, according to Research and Markets. With sales of 9 billion heated-tobacco units, Italy ranked third among the world’s HTP markets in 2021, behind Japan and Russia, according to Euromonitor International.
After transforming from an agricultural economy into one of the world’s most advanced industrial nations after the second World War, Italy today has the third-highest GDP in the EU and the 10th highest in the world, as estimated by World Economics at $2.57 trillion at the end of 2022.
The country’s economic powerhouse in the north is home not only to leaf tobacco cultivation but also to leading cigarette companies’ and suppliers’ manufacturing sites—and for a good reason: The industrial core of the region, one of Europe’s richest, is the industrial triangle between Lombardy, Veneto and Emilia-Romagna.
The area is home to a vast engineering sector that develops process innovations for a variety of industries. The regional capital, Bologna, which will host this year’s TabExpo, May 10–11, houses many producers of machinery for the production of food, pharmaceuticals and tobacco along with a large concentration of suppliers for electronics and mechanics that cater to these industries.
The area is also renowned for its automotive industry—exclusive brands like Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati and Ducati are among the many trade names that come from Emilia-Romagna, and they have attracted to the region a large number of suppliers linked to the production of engines. Food processing equipment is an important economic pillar in the region that is world famous for its prosciutto di Parma ham and its equally well-known hard cheese parmigiano.
Research laboratories specialized in strategic technological areas, such as design, prototyping and testing, are another part of this high-tech regional network, where constant exploration of new technological solutions has become ingrained in the local work ethic. It’s an ecosystem that sparks innovation—the perfect place for players in the tobacco industry seeking to drive transformation.
In the runup to TabExpo, Tobacco Reporter’s Stefanie Rossel visited several of these pioneers. On the following pages, she reports from Philip Morris International’s state-of-the-art tobacco-heating factory, BAT’s innovation hub, Montrade’s expanding operations and Tobacco Technology Inc.’s regional flavorings lab.
Stefanie Rossel is Tobacco Reporter’s editorial contributor. An experienced trade journalist, she combines sharp reporting skills with in-depth knowledge of the tobacco and vapor industries. Prior to joining Tobacco Reporter, Stefanie was editor-in-chief at Tobacco Journal International, where she worked for a decade. Fluent in English, German and French, Stefanie covers tobacco news around the world. She is based in Germany.

April 1, 2023
Fighting the Dip Mentality

Photo: Andrey Popov
What will it take for women who smoke to consider smokeless?
By Cheryl K. Olson
When Brittney Niquette first tried smokeless tobacco two years ago, it was from a sense of obligation. She runs customer support for Lucy Goods, a maker of nicotine pouches, gums and lozenges.
“I like to know what our products taste like, so that I have a genuine opinion and feedback to give customers,” she explains. “They’re just not marketed to women. So I honestly didn’t know what a nicotine pouch was. I was thinking tobacco, like, brown in a pouch.”
Niquette started smoking at 15, repeatedly quitting and restarting. She now uses tobacco-free pouches every day. “My favorite is the berry citrus. And I like espresso flavor with coffee in the morning.”
In Scandinavian countries, widespread use of smokeless tobacco products has driven smoking rates to astonishing lows. In his recent article “Can alternative nicotine put the final nail in the smoking coffin?,”Karl Fagerstrom writes, “The availability and use of snus has contributed to Sweden’s record-low prevalence of smoking and the lowest level of tobacco-related mortality among men in Europe. This phenomenon is sometimes referred to as the ‘Swedish experience.’”
Public health modeling that factors in that experience and the low-harm chemical constituents of modern products suggest that a huge number of deaths could be averted if more people switched, as Niquette did, from cigarettes to smokeless. But so far, most of those switching, even to the newest smokeless alternatives, have been men.
“Of all adult smokers, about 45 percent are women, and 55 percent are men,” says Allison Bolyard, vice president for innovative nicotine products strategy at Altria. “But if you look at lifetime smokers who have successfully switched, only about one-third are women. We see a big opportunity in providing alternatives for women that they can enjoy and can be successful in switching, because they’re falling behind.”
In recent behavioral studies on smokeless products that I’ve conducted for industry, women described negative stereotypes about smokeless users. One said, “You kinda have to fight the dip mentality. Marketing needs to be classy and discreet. Not a country boy dip and spit.”
What innovations and approaches might get women who don’t want to quit nicotine to consider a smokeless alternative? To better understand this, I talked with people in industry working to provide appealing options for women. I also collaborated with the Consumer Advocates for Smoke-Free Alternatives Association (CASAA) on a survey of its female members about their smokeless tobacco perceptions and experiences.
Deadly Misperceptions
Surveys consistently find that smokeless products are wrongly seen as more risky than e-cigarettes and often as more risky than smoking. A recent analysis of the nationally representative Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study found that a higher percentage of Americans believe smokeless tobacco products are more harmful than cigarettes than believe the (actual) reverse to be true. What’s more, “the study demonstrates that harm perceptions not only predict future product uptake in nonproduct users but also predict continued product use among existing users.”
Unfortunately, these misperceptions are even more widespread among women. Previous researchfound that among people in the U.S. and Canada who smoke, women were significantly less likely than men to agree with a statement that some types of smokeless tobacco are less harmful than cigarettes.
Daunting Barriers
Along with exaggerated fears of health risks, there are psychological and practical barriers to female interest in smokeless products. (More on these below.) One is outdated perceptions of smokeless products. Discreet modern products, such as tobacco-free nicotine pouches, do not involve what one CASAA member labeled “the nasty habit of spitting out the juice.” As Niquette’s story above implies, these small, white pouches bear little resemblance to the stereotype of a wet, brown wad of chew.
Another barrier is the unfamiliar mode of delivery. Bolyard previously oversaw Altria’s On! tobacco-free nicotine pouch line. She notes that users of traditional moist smokeless tobacco (MST) are about 95 percent male: “As opposed to men, women who smoke cigarettes aren’t used to putting, and parking, a product in their mouth.”
A third barrier is fear of being associated with negative stereotypes of smokeless tobacco users. In my previous research, smokeless users were perceived as being mostly men, “biker guys and baseball players.” There were mentions of “gross people” with brown or black teeth.
Based on this, women were reluctant to be observed using smokeless. One said, “Folks were noticing it [the round pouch tin] in my pocket and expecting me to spit somewhere.”
Unfamiliar, uncomfortable mouth sensations are a fourth barrier that may turn off women. In the CASAA survey, a number of women referred to “burn” or irritation as a reason for stopping smokeless use or avoiding certain brands.
“The familiar stinging/burning sensation on the gum when trying either snus or nicotine pouches is a huge deterrent to switch to smokeless oral products, especially for women,” says Bengt Wiberg, a Swedish economist turned snus advocate and innovator. His startup company, Sting Free, markets nicotine pouches with a patented shield technology that provides flavor and nicotine sans discomfort. “I think the U.S. expression ‘You only have one chance to make a first impression’ applies very much to this issue,” he says.
Wiberg also notes that today’s smaller, slimmer pouch products fit more comfortably in women’s mouths. Niquette seconded this, saying, “I could be talking to somebody, and you won’t know I have one in.”
Bolyard noted that Altria’s On! product was designed to minimize some of these barriers. The can is a square shape instead of an MST-like circle and includes 20 small pouches to match the typical cigarette pack size.
Unexpected Benefits
As women get better acquainted with smokeless products, they may discover unexpected benefits over other nicotine-delivery methods. Niquette appreciates the hands-free convenience of smokeless tobacco. “Women do so much stuff: We’re busy people—we cook, clean, raise kids. Sometimes your hands are full,” she points out. “So vaping or smoking is not an option.”
“I have three computer screens; I’m typing all day,” she adds. “And I don’t have to break. I can just grab a pouch out of the can, put [it] in my mouth and keep going.”
To ease the transition, Niquette suggests that women start with a smokeless alternative that comes in flavors they enjoy in other products, such as fruity or minty gum.
“Not Messy or Gross Like I Thought They Would Be”
Here is a selection of comments from 260 female members of the Consumer Advocates for Smoke-Free Alternatives Association on what makes women who smoke decide to try or reject smokeless tobacco products.
We defined “smokeless tobacco” as including nicotine pouches, snus, dip and chew. However, we learned that unfamiliarity with these products extends to the terminology. One wrote, “I’m confused; I thought vaping was smokeless tobacco?”
What would make women consider a smokeless product? The most common response was “nothing.” This included variations such as “threat of death,” “a million dollars,” or less hyperbolically, “a vaping ban.” However, a few respondents were open-minded: “I have no idea what it is, but this email was enough to have me interested. I currently vape.”
Factors listed that might make smokeless products appealing included: not having to spit, smaller size, “a bigger spectrum of flavors,” “cleaner,” “nonstaining” and “not noticeable to others.”
Few who had tried traditional moist smokeless tobacco found it appealing. One said, “It was convenient, and there was no annoying smoke, but it irritated my mouth a bit, and I worried about my teeth or developing cancer.” “The smell and the taste [were] overpowering, the ‘juice’ burned my mouth, spitting was gross, but swallowing was even worse,” said another.
But tobacco-free pouches, and to a lesser extent snus, found some favor. A user of both said they are “not messy or gross like I thought they would be and are advertised in the media.” Reasons for trying these products among those who use(d) them include not being able to smoke or vape at work or while traveling; wanting to quit vaping (“to give my lungs a break”), ease of access (“Vaping products became less available online … pouches were available at our convenience store”), ease of use, and curiosity.
Other positive comments included “Liked that it was discreet and just nicotine”; “It works just as well as the smoking of something, and it’s easy to just spit it out when you have enough”; “Use to get through the day at work without having to take a break. I liked how they curb cravings; the flavors and the size of the pouch makes it easy to be discreet”; and “Can do them anywhere. Try these pouches!! No smoke, but satisfaction given.”
Women who tried and stopped using pouches gave a variety of reasons. Some missed the “hand-to-mouth action—still wanted to smoke.” Others complained of hiccups, nausea or irritation: “I’m not a big fan of pouches because they burn the inside of my cheeks.” A few mentioned other sources of discomfort, such as “uncomfortable material that hurts my gums/mouth” or too much bulk. There was also just difficulty getting used to this type of product: “Flavors were good, but it was weird having something in my mouth that I wasn’t supposed to be chewing.” Some disliked the taste.
Because “smokeless” received various interpretations, many women left comments on other nicotine products, including gums, lozenges, tablets or sprays. These received a similar range of positive comments and complaints. This supports the idea that women seeking alternatives to cigarettes may have to try a variety of products and brands to find their fit. As one wrote, “Try it if it will benefit your health and you’re OK with it. To each their own.”
In short, it’s clear that many women hold strong, perhaps outdated stereotypes of smokeless tobacco. Many will never try it. However, there appears to be an untapped demand for the benefits some women report from modern oral nicotine products: a discreet product to use where no smoke or vapor is allowed or a hands-free product that gives nicotine and flavor without effort. –C.K.O
Cheryl K. Olson is a California-based public health researcher who specializes in behavioral health issues and consults on tobacco product behaviors via McKinney Regulatory Science Advisors. She spent 15 years on the faculty of Harvard Medical School.

April 1, 2023
Poised for Growth

Antonella Giannini (left) and Alberto Monzon
(Photos: Montrade)
Montrade is expanding its portfolio and manufacturing facilities.
By Stefanie Rossel
There are clear signs that Montrade is continuing its remarkable growth: In the corner of the tobacco equipment manufacturer’s bright conference room, there are samples of tiles, wall coverings and other construction materials. The Bologna-based company is about to build new premises. About 200 meters from its current 4,000-square-meter site, it will construct an additional 7,000-square-meter shop floor, which is supposed to be finalized by the beginning of next year.
“It will become our main company building with offices,” explains Alberto Monzoni, Montrade’s managing director. Together with his wife, Antonella Giannini, who serves as the company’s sales director, he founded Montrade in 2004. “The assembly workshop in the new building will have a bigger dimension because we’re growing also in terms of our portfolio as we are adding new machine models, and it will be fully dedicated to the assembly of our machines,” says Monzoni.
The current site, built in 2010 when the company had outgrown its original rented offices, will in the future accommodate a warehouse and tooling capacity. It already hosts the company’s spare parts manufacturing center, which is equipped with a CNC machine and will become a preferred sub-supplier for Montrade machinery after the expansion. The building is also home to a startup company, with a team dedicated to the development of special sensors, mainly for the inline quality control of filters that Montrade installs in its machines or sells as part of retrofit kits for its equipment. “The team will get more space with the option to increase capability. Inline control is important as high speed requires high quality.”
Monzoni says it’s essential that Montrade, which exclusively supplies the tobacco industry, enlarges its footprint. “Multinational companies have become an essential part of our customer base, and they require a certain capacity.”
With 120 employees, the company presently manufactures about 30 lines per year. Montrade offers a wide range of equipment ranging from filter-making to packaging for combustible cigarettes and heated-tobacco products (HTPs). “It’s vital for us to meet the new market requirement of flexibility,” says Giannini. “Due to the increasing amount of products, the complexity of the tobacco industry is intensifying. Montrade covers everything from roll-your-own [RYO]/make-your-own [MYO] to packing lines, always with a view to sustainability.”
Environmentally friendly filter solutions, Giannini and Monzoni believe, will be the next big thing in the industry. Discarded cigarette filters, 98 percent of which presently consist of cellulose acetate (CA), a bio-based polymer that takes years to disintegrate, are the world’s most littered items. They pollute the environment with microplastics. In July 2021, the European Union banned plastic items such as plates, cutlery, straws or cotton bud sticks but exempted cigarette filters. Instead, tobacco manufacturers will be required to cover the costs of consumer awareness-raising campaigns and extended producer responsibility schemes starting in December. There are rumors, though, that the EU might ban CA filters in the future. Giannini considers it more likely that the EU will raise taxes on polluting items instead. The tobacco industry is taking the issue seriously by developing paper filters, a trend that Montrade has seen reflected in the demand for corresponding machinery.
Efficient Paper Crimping
One of Montrade’s bestsellers is a new version of a paper crimper that was originally developed in 2010. Paper is crimped with a pair of rollers that penetrate the paper band without cutting the fibers. The goal of the process is to get the maximum volume so that when the rod is made, the filter doesn’t have any holes; it should look as much as possible like a filter made from CA.
Driven by customer requests, Montrade recently redesigned the crimping head of its machine to enable the manufacture of paper filters with similar properties to CA filters. “With our new technology, we have achieved excellent results,” Monzoni says. “We save 15 [percent] to 20 percent of paper compared to traditional crimpers, which means that we create a very homogeneous and stable filter with no variation in pressure drop and superb quality. Not only does this reduce cost; there is also an advantage for taste. The retention of paper is much higher than that of CA, which means that tar and nicotine will be reduced. If you use less paper, you will get less of the typical taste of a paper filter. For better machinability in the downstream process, we have increased the hardness.”
Importantly, Montrade’s machine works at the same speed as filter makers for acetate tow, splicing automatically and never reducing the speed of production, according to Giannini.
As an alternative to the paper crimper, the company offers the standalone crimping module as a retrofit package. Within 15 minutes, it turns a conventional CA filter maker into a paper filter maker. “If CA filters get banned, it doesn’t make sense economically to waste so many machines and replace them with new ones as the rod forming basically does the same job no matter whether there’s CA tow or crimped paper at the backend,” says Giannini. “The crimping module breathes new life into the existing rod forming, just giving it a new material feeding. We are getting a lot of positive response from our customers; you can see that this is the direction they will go. Many brands are making trials and have set up smoking panels with this new material.”
While demand for paper filter makers is increasing, Monzoni emphasizes that the trend is still at an early stage. “Paper filters are currently used for brand variants that appeal to consumers with a more ecological orientation,” he says. “The big brands are not ready yet. One [company] is prepared to start with one brand; others are still studying the subject.”
The situation is different in the smaller RYO/MYO category, which has become a forerunner in paper filter tips. “Sustainable filters are common, and the consumer likes them,” says Giannini. “In cigarettes, we’re still a bit behind. But the few brands with sustainable filters presently available are growing.”
Sustainable Solutions
Montrade’s portfolio reflects the tobacco industry’s current transformation that not only involves reduced-risk products but also non-nicotine offerings. For the rapidly growing cannabis market, Montrade is developing several products, including a cone-making machine.
The company is also exploring the potential of paper beyond common solid filter plug production. In partnership with a big tobacco firm, the machinery manufacturer has created a new packaging line capable of producing soft packs without plastic film. The humidity in the pack is preserved through an innovative seaming technology that reduced both cost and environmental impact.
Furthermore, the company uses the crimped paper to manufacture a hollow tube that is equivalent to hollow acetate filters. “Turning crimped paper into a hollow tube filter has long been the dream of filter designers,” notes Giannini. “Our customer wanted to change from CA filters to paper to have a full sustainable portfolio of paper filters. We have made it possible by offering paper tubes and hard paper filters. Our hollow paper tubes have a wall thickness of 0.6 mm to 1.5 mm, and they are very similar to CA filter tubes.” Montrade also has a machine that allows it to produce charcoal paper filters, which are also known as Dalmatians.
Used in combustible cigarettes, hollow filters make elegant mouthpieces. In HTPs, they are highly functional, serving as either a flow restrictor or an expansion chamber and playing a fundamental role in aerosol cooling and accelerating. “The performance of HTPs is driven by tubes,” Giannini says.
Drawing from its experience with crimped paper filter rod manufacture, Montrade has developed a rod-forming machine for the tobacco element in HTP consumables. The cast leaf that is used in the sticks presents a challenge in processing, says Monzoni. “It’s fragile and tends to be sticky, so it needs to be treated in a special way,” he says. The underlying concept of our rod maker, however, works for all bobbins or webs—you just need to adapt the technology to treat different materials.”
More design possibilities for HTPs arise with Montrade’s coaxial flexible platform, which represents a new way of making filters. “Instead of a single process, our machine has two garnitures and is capable of making one filter or tube inside of the other,” says Giannini. “It’s highly performing and super flexible, allowing for a continuous process or a combination of individual filter segments inside and a wrapping with a continuous material, such as paper or CA, outside, in one go.”
Customers’ biggest investments these days are in HTPs, according to Giannini. “There is still a lot to be discovered on the production side of HTPs. Coaxial technology is one opportunity to open the scenario to different production designs. HTPs are the future. We strongly believe that they will make up the majority of nicotine consumption in the future.”
Stefanie Rossel is Tobacco Reporter’s editorial contributor. An experienced trade journalist, she combines sharp reporting skills with in-depth knowledge of the tobacco and vapor industries. Prior to joining Tobacco Reporter, Stefanie was editor-in-chief at Tobacco Journal International, where she worked for a decade. Fluent in English, German and French, Stefanie covers tobacco news around the world. She is based in Germany.

April 1, 2023