Category: News This Week

Parkside Boosts Malaysian Operations

Paula Birch (Photo: Parkside)
Specialist packaging solutions provider Parkside has announced it has placed significant investment in the latest flexible packaging production technology at its Malaysian headquarters.
Demand for hygienic, safe and convenient packaging is growing in the region, and as a result, Parkside has been investing in its production of high barrier and sustainable flexible packaging solutions at the facility. With a 10-color print press, three coater/laminators, three slitting lines and flexo plate making facilitates alongside a new business development strategy, the company is now targeting more categories within the Asia-Pacific food and drink sector.
“After the challenges of 2020, it’s clear that the way we manufacture, process and supply products has been changed for good,” said Global Sales Director Paula Birch, who was recently appointed general manager of Parkside Asia. “As consumer behavior and demands have evolved in the region, the supply chain has adapted. How closely brands can reflect the needs of shoppers—and how effectively they can use this to shape their operations—is set to prove a real differentiator as they adapt their strategies, and we are here to help!
“We have a fantastic best-in-class facility in Kuala Lumpur able to produce a wide range of flexible packaging solutions from lidding films and bags through to next-generation compostable and recyclable sustainable pack designs.
“We are widely known in Asia for our tobacco products, but we are so much more than that. We have the perfect product portfolio to address these emerging consumer trends, and it is vital moving forward [that] we ensure brands are aware of our capabilities.”
June 27, 2021
Canada: Flavor Ban Could Boost Smoking

Photo: jedsadabodin
Health Canada has made a “startling admission” that its recent policy to ban the sale of flavored vapor products could contribute to a rise in cigarette consumption, reports Filter, a publication owned and operated by The Influence Foundation, a nonprofit organization that advocates for rational and compassionate approaches to drug use, drug policy and human rights.
Into its regulatory impact analysis statement on the intended flavor ban, Health Canada acknowledges that its legislation could lead to an increase in smoking, according to Filter.
“It is anticipated that some dual users who currently use flavored vaping products would not substitute their purchases with tobacco[-flavored] and mint/menthol-flavored vaping products. They would choose to purchase more cigarettes,” the statement reads.
“The statement is very direct. It’s basically saying, ‘We’re Health Canada, and we’re going to do something that kills Canadians,’” said David Sweanor, an industry expert and chair of the Advisory Board for the Centre for Health, Law, Policy and Ethics at the University of Ottawa.

“The statement is very direct. It’s basically saying, ‘We’re Health Canada, and we’re going to do something that kills Canadians.'”
David Sweanor, chair of the Advisory Board for the Centre for Health, Law, Policy and Ethics at the University of Ottawa
Matt Culley, a board member of the U.S.-based CASAA, a consumer advocacy nonprofit that promotes smoke-free alternatives to combustible tobacco, said, “The fact that a government can brazenly admit their policy will lead to more smoking and death is wild. It really goes to show how demonized vaping remains.”
The policy appears to be at odds with Canada’s intention to reduce its smoking rate to 5 percent by 2030.
“Our policies have not aligned with the country’s goals,” Darryl Tempest, the executive director and chief advocate of the Canadian Vaping Association (CVA), told Filter. “It is not a public policy that relates to adults or harm reduction or small businesses.”
The country amended its tobacco laws to include vaping products in 2018, and some Canadian provinces have already enacted their own flavor bans.
June 27, 2021
Pfizer Pauses Chantix Over Nitrosamines

Photo: Antwon McMullen
Pfizer on June 24 announced that it is pausing distribution of its anti-smoking treatment, Chantix, after finding elevated levels of cancer-causing agents called nitrosamines in the pills, reports Reuters. Pfizer is recalling a number of lots of the anti-smoking drug. Pfizer said the pause in distribution is out of abundance of caution and pending further testing.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has in the past reached out to companies whose drugs had nitrosamines above accepted levels. Global revenue from Chantix fell 17 percent to $919 million in 2020 as Covid-19 curbs hampered demand and Pfizer lost patent protection in the U.S. last November.
“The benefits of Chantix outweigh the very low potential risks, if any, posed by nitrosamine exposure from varenicline on top of other common sources over a lifetime,” said Pfizer spokesperson Steven Danehy.
June 27, 2021
Fewer Smokers but More Nicotine Users

Photo: sezerozger
While the number of young Danes smoking cigarettes has fallen, the number of young people who use at least one tobacco or nicotine-related product has increased since last year from 27 percent to 28.6 percent, reports the Copenhagen Post, citing a new report released by the National Institute of Public Health.
Researcher Lotus Sofie Bast noted that the April 1, 2020, cigarette excise tax increase drove the nicotine consumption habits of young people from the more expensive cigarettes to less expensive vapor products. The report will be an annual examination of young people’s tobacco and nicotine habits.
Researchers hope to monitor the effect of newer measures like higher cigarette prices, standardized tobacco packaging and products hidden behind the counter in the coming years.
June 27, 2021
Industry Welcomes Draft U.K. Vaping Guideline

Photo: pavel_shishkin
The U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) has welcomed the publication of draft guidance by the government’s top health advisory body to support health workers in helping smokers transition successfully to vaping.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published draft guideline recommendations, currently out for consultation, which make the case for healthcare workers to inform patients where they can find vaping products, proactively promote the fact that vape products are substantially less harmful than conventional cigarettes and provide advice on how to use vape devices correctly.
This announcement follows fast on the heels of National Health Service (NHS) trials that were announced recently, whereby vaping devices are given to smokers in A&E departments. These are already under way in some NHS hospitals in England and Wales.
These developments coincide with a new campaign being planned by the UKVIA to support frontline workers in helping smokers successfully quit smoking using vaping through the advice they give.
“It’s great to see that the NHS is embracing the huge public health potential of vaping,” said John Dunne, director general of the UKVIA, in a statement. “Pro-vaping actions such as NICE’s draft guideline recommendations and the NHS trials are key to ensuring the government meets its target for a smoke-free Britain.
“Our own campaign, which we will be launching in July, will provide a much-needed resource to help frontline healthcare staff give the right advice to smokers on how best to quit using vaping.
“A one-size-[fits]-all approach is not the way to maximize quit rates amongst smokers from taking up vaping. It depends on their level of smoking, which in turn determines the flavors, nicotine levels and devices that they should be using. We are using the many years of experience amongst our members to equip the NHS with advice that is proven to get results.”
June 27, 2021
FDA Chief Grilled About Action on Youth Vaping

Photo: Araki Illustrations
Juul Labs has played a significant role in creating a youth vaping epidemic in the United States, according to Acting Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Janet Woodcock, reports Bloomberg.
Asked during a June 23 hearing of the House Oversight Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy if Juul was “the e-cigarette company most responsible for creating this epidemic,” Woodcock answered that it does “appear” to be the case.
Juul has been accused of marketing its products to youths, a charge the company denies.
Juul is one of hundreds of e-cigarette makers that is seeking the FDA’s permission to continue to sell its products. Those marketed since February 2007 have had to submit applications to the FDA in order to stay on the market.
Approval is based on the FDA finding a product is “appropriate for the protection of the public health,” which requires makers to demonstrate that their products won’t promote youth use but instead will help adults quit smoking.
Juul underage use fell in 2020 compared with other companies, according to a study in JAMA Pediatrics. That year also saw 1.73 million less youth tobacco users overall than in the year prior, according to a national youth tobacco survey conducted by the FDA and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Woodcock said Wednesday that the agency is prioritizing products from “about five” e-cigarette companies that account for large portions of the market but did not name the companies.
Subcommittee Chairman Raja Krishnamoorthi urged the FDA to deny approval for all vaping companies in the agency’s ongoing review of their products.
The agency must decide on marketing applications by Sept. 9.
June 27, 2021
Think Tank Debates COP9 Impact on Vapers
The U.K. Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) will host a discussion today on the impact of the World Health Organization’s ninth Conference of the Parties (COP9) to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which is scheduled to take place on Nov. 21 in the Netherlands.
The COP is the supreme decision-making body of the FCTC, where all parties to the FCTC meet biennially to review the implementation of the convention and adopt the new guidance. For the first time since leaving the European Union, in November 2021, the U.K. will send a delegation to the COP.
According to the IEA, COP9 poses a significant threat to the U.K.’s approach to harm reduction policy. “The WHO is increasingly, and against the clear evidence, positioning itself as an enemy of vaping,” the think tank states on its website. “The U.K. is a world leader in tobacco harm reduction, and a significant reason for this is our comparatively liberal approach to vaping products and e-cigarettes.”
Participants in the IEA forum will discuss who represents the U.K. at COP, how decisions are reached, the impact of these decisions on the U.K.’s harm reduction progress and the country’s 2030 smoke-free target, among other topics.
Speakers includes IEA Director General Mark Littlewood (chair), Matt Ridley (vice-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Vaping), Christopher Snowdon (IEA head of lifestyle economics) and Louis Houlbrooke (NZ Taxpayers Union).
The discussion can be followed live on the screen or here.
June 24, 2021
KPMG: Illicit Cigarette Trade up in Europe

Photo: IvanSemenovych
While total cigarette consumption continues to decline, the share of illicit cigarettes in Europe increased by 0.5 percentage points to 7.8 percent in 2020, according to a new study by KPMG.
The increase of the illicit cigarette market—which comprises contraband, counterfeit and illicit whites—was driven by an unprecedented 87 percent surge in counterfeit consumption. The tax loss for governments of the EU’s 27 member states now amounts to approximately €8.5 billion ($10.15 billion).
The annual study, conducted independently by KPMG and commissioned by Philip Morris International, evaluated the consumption and flows of illicit cigarettes in 30 European countries—the 27 EU member states as well as U.K., Norway and Switzerland.
It shows how legal and illicit cigarette consumption was impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, a period of lockdowns and restricted movement of people within the EU coupled with declines in affordability. The report estimates that total consumption of cigarettes declined by 4.7 percent in 2020 to 438.8 billion in the EU member states, while the Covid-19-related border controls and travel restrictions resulted in a sharp decrease of nondomestic consumption, which declined in 2020 by 18.5 percent (11.9 billion cigarettes). The decline in total cigarette consumption also coincided with the growth of 6 billion cigarette equivalent units in the fine-cut tobacco category in 2020.
Consumption of illicit whites and other contraband cigarettes decreased year-over-year, but these declines were more than offset by an increase in counterfeit, which almost doubled in 2020, equating to 10.3 billion fake cigarettes, up from 5.5 billion in 2019. This was estimated to be driven mainly by an unprecedented 609 percent increase in counterfeit cigarette consumption in France, reaching 6 billion fake cigarettes consumed in the country alone.

It is crucial to protect consumers against counterfeits and that law enforcement, governments and trademark owners come together as one to address and eradicate illicit trade.
Alvise Giustiniani, vice president of illicit trade prevention, PMI
“It is crucial to protect consumers against counterfeits and that law enforcement, governments and trademark owners such as ourselves in the private sectors come together as one to address and eradicate illicit trade in Europe and beyond,” said Alvise Giustiniani, vice president of illicit trade prevention at PMI, in a statement. “Eliminating illicit trade is particularly important within the context of PMI’s transformation toward a smoke-free future, and we need to continue working in partnerships to address any potential illicit trade threats, including in our novel products. Compliance to the law and effective enforcement against criminals profiting from illicit trade is an absolute must.”
Interviews with law enforcement, conducted by KPMG as part of the study, indicate that organized criminal groups continued to move their operations inside the EU borders as a large proportion of illicit whites and counterfeit cigarettes are also believed to be manufactured in illegal factories within the EU. This is further supported by the increasing number of illegal cigarette factory raids in multiple European countries.
June 24, 2021
Amcor Installs Blown-Film Production Line

Photo: Amcor
Amcor’s Flexibles North America (AFNA) business has installed a seven-layer blown film line.
The new machine will produce the company’s recently launched proprietary AmPrima PE Plus ultra-clear and heat resistance films. The AmPrima line uses machine-direction orientation technology to produce films that can run at unmatched speeds.
These films enable customers to shift to recycle-ready solutions without compromise on performance, product appearance or manufacturing throughput. AmPrima is part of Amcor’s growing portfolio of responsible packaging solutions. In the U.S., when clean and dry, AmPrima can be collected for recycling curbside where available or through existing in-store drop-off locations. These solutions also are prequalified for the How2Recycle label, which saves customers time, cost and reduces risk in development.
According to Amcor, the AmPrima line represents another meaningful step forward against the company’s effort to make all its products recyclable or reusable by 2025. Amcor continues to enhance its leadership position in responsible packaging solutions with a keen focus on addressing end-of-life and reducing waste in the environment.
“This move enhances our ability to grow our AmPrima product line,” said AFNA President Fred Stephan, in a statement. “The integration of this technology is an important example of how we’re leaning into our commitment to satisfy customer demand for more sustainable solutions.”
Production teams at Amcor Flexibles North America Oshkosh Converter Films have completed first runs on the new AmPrima line. Amcor expects full production capability by the end of June.
June 24, 2021
U.S. Customs Intercepts Counterfeit Vaping Pens

Photo: CBP
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Port of Atlanta seized 66 boxes of “Rick and Morty” branded vape pens in a shipment that originated from China.
The popular cartoon characters were printed on the vape pen packaging, which made the merchandise suspect of copyright and trademark law infringement.
“One of our primary missions is to intercept merchandise that could pose a serious health risk to the consumer, but this shipment of counterfeit vape pens violated intellectual property rights,” said Paula Rivera, CBP port director for Atlanta, in a statement. “CBP collaborates with many government agencies to enforce laws to protect the health and safety of the consumer and our communities.”
After contacting brand owner Warner Bros. Entertainment, CBP import specialists determined the shipments of vape pens did indeed infringe upon the “Rick and Morty” copyright and seized the 19,800 flavored pens. Similar pens properly licensed would have a manufactured suggested retail price of more than $590,000.
Every year, CBP seizes millions of counterfeit goods from countries around the world. Nationwide in 2020, the agency seized 26,503 shipments containing goods that violated intellectual property rights. The total estimated value of the seized goods, had they been genuine, was nearly $1.3 billion.
June 24, 2021