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  • Surviving a Global Trade System: GTNF 2026

    Surviving a Global Trade System: GTNF 2026

    At GTNF 2026 in Lisbon, Chris Greer, senior vice president for regulatory and external affairs at Stryk Brands, moderated a panel examining how companies can navigate an increasingly fragmented global trade environment. “Surviving in a Global Trade System” focused on cross-border challenges involving taxes, tariffs, regulation, movement of goods and services, and labor, with panelists arguing that increasingly localized requirements are creating high costs and complexity for businesses.

    Greer said the panel was focused on systemic issues that are changing rapidly, including the growing influence of health regulations on international trade. He warned against one-size-fits-all approaches and said excessive non-tariff barriers can reduce market efficiency and contribute to illicit markets.

    Tracy Berry, vice president of tax compliance at Laudisi Enterprises, said the costs of increasingly complex requirements ultimately fall on consumers. She also highlighted the burden on small businesses, pointing to FDA treatment of an artisan pipe maker producing a single pipe in a garage compared with a large manufacturing facility.

    Chris Gemmell, chief product and innovation officer at Greentank Technologies, said the era of a single global product platform is ending as companies adapt products to individual markets. He suggested companies think of products like “Legos,” with modular components that can be changed quickly to meet different regulatory requirements. He also pointed to the cumulative costs of compliance, testing, taxes and tariffs, particularly when compliant companies compete against businesses that do not face the same costs.

    Markus Lindblad, head of legal and external affairs at Haypp Group, said companies may be international in scope but increasingly have to operate locally because regulations differ significantly between countries. He argued that regulators should pursue “purpose-driven regulation” rather than simply adding more rules and said global technology platforms also need greater regulatory attention. Lindblad said companies must consider not only whether they can enter a market but whether the market is stable and provides sufficient conditions to operate.

  • Supply Chain Resilience will Depend on Regulatory Readiness: GTNF26

    Supply Chain Resilience will Depend on Regulatory Readiness: GTNF26

    Suppliers to the nicotine industry will increasingly need to anticipate regulatory changes rather than react to them, according to speakers at GTNF 2026’s panel on global supply-chain challenges and opportunities. Moderated by Laura Leigh Oyler, vice president of regulatory affairs at Haypp Group, the panel emphasized that regulation—not supply disruptions alone—will remain one of the biggest risks facing suppliers as new nicotine products and requirements continue to emerge.

    Ross Kirsh, CEO and founder of Dymapak, said companies will need flexible supply chains and contingency plans rather than attempts to predict every potential disruption. Brands that wait until a regulatory change becomes a rule risk scrambling for solutions and facing delays of months or more. Kirsh also argued that standards should focus on performance rather than prescribe specific products or technologies, allowing innovation to determine the most effective and economical solutions.

    Rahul Mathew, director of sales for next-generation products at Leaf N Beyond, said regulatory changes will continue to influence supply and suppliers will need to build expertise to help customers navigate them. He argued that supply-chain planning should become part of product development itself, with companies preparing for multiple possible outcomes rather than trying to predict a single one. Mathew also pointed to sustainability, scale and science as key considerations as the industry evolves. He said traditional customer-supplier relationships will remain important, but the supply chain will become less efficient unless both sides improve communication and better understand each other’s needs.

    Przemysław Pitura, global head of procurement at Chemnovatic, stressed the importance of knowing the supply chain in detail and maintaining the ability to trace products back through every stage of production. He said suppliers should be involved before a product is finalized because making changes later can be difficult and expensive. Pitura also emphasized the value of developing alternative supply sources before they are needed, saying the best time to build an alternative is when there is no immediate need for one. He noted that changing requirements will continue to create challenges, but companies with experienced people and strong supplier relationships can turn that uncertainty into an advantage.

  • BAT Releases 352-Page Omni Update at GTNF 2026

    BAT Releases 352-Page Omni Update at GTNF 2026

    British American Tobacco released a printed 352-page update to its Omni platform, a compendium of scientific research, evidence, and case studies supporting the company’s approach to tobacco harm reduction. Chief Corporate Officer Kingsley Wheaton announced the release at GTNF 2026 in Lisbon, describing Omni as a resource intended to advance discussion among scientists, public health authorities, regulators, policymakers, and investors.

    “Omni is our platform for gathering evidence based around tobacco harm reduction,” Wheaton said. “What we are launching today is a significant update to it, bringing in the latest case studies, the most current scientific research, and the real-world evidence from markets where smoke-free products are already reaching adult smokers at scale.”

    The updated Omni is organized across 10 chapters covering what BAT describes as the key questions facing the company, the science supporting its smokeless products, and the global tobacco harm reduction evidence base developed over the past decade.

    Wheaton said the platform is intended to be more than a conventional corporate publication. “It’s almost easier to say what Omni isn’t instead of what it is,” he said. “It isn’t a book, a report, or a website, although it can look like all three. It’s a manifesto and a mandate. A manifesto to change and a mandate for action, as we worked toward becoming a predominantly smoke-free business.”

    He said the objective is to encourage scrutiny and discussion rather than present a finished position. “The purpose of Omni is not to tell you what to think. It’s to ignite the conversation with stakeholders, a resource built to be scrutinized, challenged, and built upon. Not a closed document but rather an open one. Because if we’re asking regulators and scientists and public health authorities to engage with the evidence on harm reduction, the very least we owe them is to make that evidence physical, current, and rigorous.”

    BAT says Omni is intended to support its broader A Better Tomorrow strategy and its goal of building a “Smokeless World,” in which smokers who would otherwise continue smoking migrate to smokeless alternatives. The company says the resource is designed to allow readers to move between sections according to their interests while examining BAT’s progress, the scientific evidence surrounding smokeless products, and the wider tobacco harm reduction evidence base.

  • GTNF 2026 Opens with Focus on Harm Reduction, Innovation, Regulation

    GTNF 2026 Opens with Focus on Harm Reduction, Innovation, Regulation

    The Global Tobacco & Nicotine Forum 2026 opened today (Sept. 9) in Lisbon, bringing together industry executives, regulators, public health experts, academics, advocates, investors, and other stakeholders for three days of discussions on the future of tobacco and nicotine. Opening the forum, Beth Oliva, chair of the Nicotine Resource Consortium and GTNF conference chair, said the event has evolved since its launch in Rio de Janeiro in 2008 from a conference into an “idea incubator, connection and networking engine” and an “open and participatory think tank.”

    Oliva said the challenges facing the sector are too large and interconnected for any one group to address alone, emphasizing the importance of bringing different stakeholders together for dialogue. This year’s agenda covers tobacco harm reduction, regulation, innovation, sustainability, global trade, supply chains, illicit trade, and the needs of adults who smoke, with more than 20 new speakers joining the program.

    “The true theme of GTNF is ‘move from conversation to action,’” Oliva said, urging participants to turn the ideas and connections developed during the forum into practical approaches going forward. She said the forum’s mission of “honest dialogue” and finding common ground in evidence “has never been more important or critical to people who smoke.”

  • Report Finds EU Lagging in Fight Against Illicit Tobacco

    Report Finds EU Lagging in Fight Against Illicit Tobacco

    The European Court of Auditors (ECA) says the European Union lacks reliable data on the size and impact of the illicit tobacco market and that fragmented national rules and weak coordination are leaving gaps that criminal groups can exploit. Euractiv reported that the auditors estimate the illicit tobacco trade costs the EU and its member states about €13 billion in lost revenue annually, although the ECA cautioned that the estimate should be treated carefully. Euractiv also highlighted the ECA’s criticism of limited transparency around bilateral agreements between EU governments and tobacco companies to combat illicit trade.

    EUobserver reported that the ECA found one in 10 cigarettes made in the EU is either illegally produced or smuggled, while vapes and heated tobacco products account for 13% of the illicit market by value. EUobserver also said the European Anti-Fraud Office helped prevent €178 million in lost tax revenue in 2025 and that the European Commission has accepted most of the ECA’s recommendations but rejected some proposals, including a coordinated EU monitoring system and a framework for assessing member states’ effectiveness in fighting illicit tobacco.

  • Imperial Acquires Owner of Helwit Nicotine Pouches

    Imperial Acquires Owner of Helwit Nicotine Pouches

    Imperial Brands announced the acquisition of Swedish modern oral nicotine company Yoik Group AB, owner of the Helwit nicotine pouch brand, for an initial SEK 515 million (£39.8 million), plus a performance-based deferred payment over two years. Helwit has a 3.4% share of Sweden’s modern oral nicotine market and is sold online across Europe and in select U.K. retailers.

    The acquisition more than doubles Imperial’s existing modern oral market share in Sweden, where the company operates through Skruf AB. Yoik’s founders and employees will join Imperial, while the Helwit brand will remain focused on its flavor-led portfolio and Swedish heritage. The deal is part of Imperial’s strategy to expand its next-generation product portfolio through bolt-on acquisitions.

  • PMI Raises 2026 Full-Year EPS Forecast on Currency

    PMI Raises 2026 Full-Year EPS Forecast on Currency

    Philip Morris International raised its 2026 full-year reported diluted EPS forecast to $7.28-$7.43, citing currency effects. Adjusted diluted EPS is now expected at $8.35-$8.50, representing growth of 10.7%-12.7% from $7.54 in 2025, or 7.5%-9.5% excluding currency. PMI also raised its third-quarter adjusted diluted EPS forecast to $2.29-$2.34.

    CEO Jacek Olczak addressed investors today (Sept. 8) at the 2026 Barclays Global Consumer Conference in Boston. The company said all other 2026 forecast assumptions remain unchanged from its July 22 update.

  • Cabbacis Files Trademark Applications for X95 Cigarette

    Cabbacis Files Trademark Applications for X95 Cigarette

    Cabbacis announced that it filed trademark applications for its patent-pending X95 very-low-nicotine cigarette in the United States and international markets including Europe, the U.K., China, Japan, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, Chile, and Brazil.

  • Nicotine-Like Products Expose Blind Spot in Korean Vape Rules

    Nicotine-Like Products Expose Blind Spot in Korean Vape Rules

    South Korea is facing a regulatory gap involving nicotine-free and nicotine-imitation e-cigarette liquids following an April revision to the Tobacco Business Act that brought natural and synthetic nicotine products under government oversight, according to a report in The Korea Times. The revised law does not cover liquids without nicotine or those containing nicotine substitutes such as 6-methylnicotine, leaving some products outside tobacco advertising, sales, and disclosure rules. A 2024 Korea Consumer Agency survey found actual nicotine in seven of 12 online products labeled nicotine-free, while five of 15 e-cigarette liquids examined lacked required warning labels.

    The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety plans to complete a safety assessment of 6-methylnicotine this year and examine other nicotine-imitation substances, while the National Assembly Research Service has called for stronger coordination among government agencies and new rules covering advertising, vending machines, and product disclosures.

  • Nordic Spirit Named Official Nicotine Pouch Partner of Co-op Live

    Nordic Spirit Named Official Nicotine Pouch Partner of Co-op Live

    JTI’s Nordic Spirit has become the Official Nicotine Pouch Partner of Co-op Live, the 23,500-capacity indoor entertainment arena in Manchester, England. Opened in 2024, Co-op Live is the U.K.’s largest indoor live entertainment venue and hosts concerts, sporting events, and comedy shows. Under the long-term partnership, Nordic Spirit will conduct in-venue activations for adult nicotine consumers and sell its nicotine pouches at selected bars throughout the arena. JTI said the partnership was agreed before the introduction of new sponsorship restrictions covering nicotine products.