Category: Featured

  • Dentsu to Operate U.K. Track-and-Trace System

    Dentsu to Operate U.K. Track-and-Trace System

    Photo: Tobacco Reporter archive

    Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) of the United Kingdom has appointed Dentsu Tracking with the establishment and operation of the new digital tobacco track-and-trace system, replacing the current provider, DeLaRue. The new system becomes operational on July 1, 2022.

    “I am very pleased about HMRC’s decision to task Dentsu Tracking with the establishment and operation of the new digital U.K. tobacco track-and-trace system,” said Dentsu Managing Director Philippe Castella in a statement. “Dentsu Tracking brings a wealth of experience and expertise in supply chain control, and we are thrilled to team up with HMRC in their fight against the illicit tobacco trade, helping them to increase revenue collection and protecting citizens and legitimate businesses in the U.K.”

    All businesses engaged in the manufacture, importation or supply of tobacco products in the U.K. will need to report their activities to the new track-and-trace system.

    “Leveraging the advantages of digital technology, Dentsu will deliver a track-and-trace system tailored to the specifics of the U.K. market,” said Jan Hoffmann, director of regulatory affairs. “It will provide HMRC with a high level of government control over the tobacco supply chain, allowing enforcement bodies to detect the different forms of illicit trade and curb the circulation of noncompliant products. The new system also enables the U.K. government to comply with the WHO FCTC Protocol.”

    Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, Dentsu Tracking is a provider of digital supply chain control solutions.

  • Procigar and InterTabac Extend Partnership

    Procigar and InterTabac Extend Partnership

    Photo: alekosa

    The long-term partnership between Messe Dortmund and Procigar, the Association of Dominican Cigar Manufacturers, has been extended. The aim is to build on and grow the close partnership and teamwork of recent years.

    “What we have here is a unique partnership between the world’s biggest and best trade show in the tobacco sector and the world’s leading cigar exporter,” said Hendrik Kelner, Progicar’s president, in a statement. The principal objective of the Association of Dominican Cigar Manufacturers is to promote and defend the quality and consistency of Dominican cigars across the world. Only a globally recognized platform like InterTabac can be contemplated for this key task.”

    Procigar was founded in 1992 as an association of cigar producers in the Dominican Republic. Since 2008, Procigar has organized the annual Procigar Festival attracting more than 400 international guests, importers, wholesalers and retailers as well as tobacco industry suppliers and employees.

    The InterTabac trade exhibition will take place Sept. 15-17, 2022.

  • Board Members Nominated at Stora Enso

    Board Members Nominated at Stora Enso

    Photo: bas121 | Adobe Stock

    Stora Enso’s shareholders’ nomination board will propose nine board members at the company’s annual general meeting (AGM) on March 15, according to a company press release.

    The shareholders’ nomination board proposes that Hakan Buskhe, Elisabeth Fleuriot, Hock Goh, Helena Hedblom, Christiane Kuehne, Antti Makinen, Richard Nilsson and Hans Sohlstrom be reelected members of the board of directors until the end of the following AGM and that Kari Jordan be elected new member of the board of directors for the same term of office.

    The shareholders’ nomination board proposes that Antti Makinen be elected chair and Hakan Buskhe be elected vice chair of the board of directors.

    Mikko Helander announced that he is not available for reelection to the board of directors.

  • Broad Support for Philippine Vape Bill

    Broad Support for Philippine Vape Bill

    Photo: Rawpixel.com

    Nine out of 10 smokers in the Philippines support the country’s proposed vaping bill, according to a study, reports the Manila Times. A majority of respondents said the government should enact policies to encourage adult smokers to switch to less harmful alternatives while also ensuring these products are not used by minors.

    In 2021, the Senate and House of Representatives approved their respective versions of the measure. The bills must be reconciled by a bicameral conference committee and ratified by the two chambers. If President Rodrigo Duterte then signs the bill into law, the Vaporized Nicotine Products Bill will regulate e-cigarettes, heated-tobacco products and other vaporized nicotine products while ensuring that they contribute to government revenues.

    The study was conducted by Acorn Marketing and Research Consultants and commissioned by consumer advocacy group Vapers PH in August 2021. The survey sampled 2,000 legal-age smokers.

  • BAT Creates Plant-Based Technology Firm

    BAT Creates Plant-Based Technology Firm

    Photo: BAT

    BAT today announced the launch of KBio Holdings to accelerate the research, development and production of novel treatments. KBio will leverage the plant-based technology capabilities of BAT and Kentucky BioProcessing, BAT’s U.S. plant biologics organization.

    KBio will explore new opportunities to develop its plant-based production system, which has the potential to offer greater speed, scale-up opportunity and thermostability. The new company will focus on delivering treatments for rare and infectious diseases by realizing and expanding the potential of both the plant-based technology platform as well as its existing clinical and preclinical vaccines and antibody pipeline.

    KBio will look to form innovative R&D collaborations and financing aimed at expanding its pipeline and future portfolio, with an ambition of financial self-sufficiency.

    Supporting the company’s future plans, a standalone operational structure for KBio is being established. This includes building a new executive leadership team led by Patrick Doyle as the CEO of KBio. Doyle brings more than 20 years of experience leading innovative biotech companies.

    “I am excited by the opportunity to build on the significant accomplishments made by BAT and KBP,” said Doyle in a statement. “I am confident in the potential of KBio’s powerful plant-based platform, capabilities and emerging early-stage pipeline. To date, the technology has demonstrated its ability to produce novel antibody and vaccine candidates with high purity at a fraction of the time and cost of current technologies. The speed and efficiency demonstrated by the KBio platform has significant potential. This could enable us to progress to clinical studies faster than industry norms in the hope of delivering treatment solutions more quickly.”

    “Science and innovation are fundamental to BAT and delivering on our purpose of building ‘A Better Tomorrow,’” said David O’Reilly, BAT’s director of scientific research. “We recognize the potential of our innovative plant-based technology and have established KBio to maximize that potential. We are excited to see what the future holds.”

  • Malaysia Postpones E-Liquid Tax

    Malaysia Postpones E-Liquid Tax

    Photo: Holger

    The government of Malaysia has postponed implementation of a new tax on e-liquids following complaints from vapor companies and consumers, according to The Malaysia Reserve.

    The proposal called for a duty of MYR1.20 ($0.29) per ml of vape liquid or gel, which could have more than doubled the retail prices of bottles for open-systems.

    “We are not surprised by this deferment, considering the blowback from vape industry players and consumers over the high duty rate,” said CGS-CIMB Securities analyst Kamarul Anwar.

    Vapor companies said the tax would make e-cigarettes more expensive than tobacco cigarettes and force the industry to compete with much-less expensive black market products.

    “The tax rates implemented should be made with proportional risks of the product benefits to the hardcore smoking community,” Malaysian Vape Industry Advocacy President Rizani Zakaria told The New Straits Times in October.

    The proposal also ran into opposition from medical groups. “The taxation levels for tobacco harm reduction products in Malaysia must remain risk-proportionate, benchmarked against high-risk products such as cigarettes,” Federation of Private Medical Practitioners Associations Malaysia president Steven Chow said in a statement last November.

    Malaysia currently prohibits nicotine sales for non-medical purposes. Earlier this year, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin informed the World Health Organization that the country would legalize and regulate vaping products to prevent youth access.

  • VPR Brands Settles IP Dispute

    VPR Brands Settles IP Dispute

    Illustration: VPR Brands

    PHD Marketing has agreed to pay VPR Brands $85,000 to settle an intellectual property dispute. As part of the deal, VPR Brands has granted PHD a nonexclusive, non-assignable license to practice the invention set forth in the patent.

    This U.S. patent includes claims covering electronic cigarette products containing an electric airflow sensor, including a sensor comprised of a diaphragm microphone. The sensor turns the battery on and off, and covers most auto-draw, e-cigarettes, cigalikes, pod devices and vaporizers using an airflow sensor rather than a button.

    VPR previously filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California alleging patent infringement of U.S. Patent by PHD.

    “I want to once again thank our legal team at SRIPLAW for their hard work and diligence in settling this matter,” said VPR CEO Brands Kevin Frija in a statement. “It is a Win-Win for All parties when a dispute can be settled ahead of trial.”

    Previously, HQDTECH USA and Nepa 2 Wholesale agreed to pay more than $275,000 to VPR Brands for infringing on the same patent.

  • Ukraine Enacts Tobacco Control Law

    Ukraine Enacts Tobacco Control Law

    Photo: Taco Tuinstra

    Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on Jan. 6 signed a sweeping new tobacco control law after nearly two years of deliberations.

    The legislation prohibits smoking and e-cigarette in enclosed public spaces. Additionally, it bans the advertising, promotion and sponsorship of all tobacco products; increases the size of warning labels required on cigarettes, heated cigarettes and e-cigarettes; and bans flavored products.

    More than 40 percent of Ukrainian men smoke and approximately 130,000 Ukrainians die from tobacco-related diseases each year, according to the U.S.-based Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK).

    “Ukraine’s new law is a significant step in curbing this deadly toll and will also align the country’s tobacco control measures with member states of the European Union. These measures include regulations on nicotine content and emission levels from tobacco products,” said CTFK Regional Director for Eurasia Joshua Abrams in a statement.

    “For decades, tobacco companies have used strategies like youth-oriented marketing and flavors to lure young people into a lifetime of addiction. Ukraine’s new measures send a strong message to Big Tobacco that Ukraine will not allow its youth to face this fate.”

  • Fewer Tobacco Growers in Zimbabwe

    Fewer Tobacco Growers in Zimbabwe

    Photo: Taco Tuinstra

    The number of tobacco growers in Zimbabwe has declined by nearly one fifth, reports The Herald, citing the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB).

    More than 120,000 people registered to grow tobacco for the current season, compared with 144,462 who registered during the same period last year.

    The decline is attributed to the TIMB’s stricter grower vetting process and challenges facing the tobacco industry.

    “Many farmers have tried and have fallen short, which is why we have less registered farmers,” said TIMB Public Affairs Officer Chelesani Moyo. “We place more pride in having fewer but legitimate tobacco growers whom we know will follow due diligence in all tobacco production processes and produce tobacco in quality ranges one to three by 2025.”

    Tobacco Association Zimbabwe President George Seremwe blamed the decline in registrations on the fact that some farmers had incurred losses during the previous season.

    “Too much cartels on one cake in the industry,” he said. “Surrogate contractors short changed farmers last season. We cannot have tobacco farmers not paid from last season up to now.”

    Following complaints that some buyers were charging excessive premiums for inputs, manipulating prices and paying late, the TIMB has cracked down on contractors. Recently, the regulator also announced stiffer penalties for side marketing.

    In related news, the government has given farmers who are still planting tobacco as a result of erratic rainfall at the start of the current farming season until Jan. 10 to destroy seedbeds.

    Under normal circumstances, Zimbabwe requires tobacco farmers to destroy their seedbeds by Dec. 31 each year to prevent the spread of pests and diseases.

  • Essentra Filters Names New Managing Director

    Essentra Filters Names New Managing Director

    Robert Pye (Photo: Essentra)

    Essentra Filters has appointed Robert Pye as managing director of filters, based out of Essentra’s Singapore office.

    Pye joined Essentra in August 2016 and was most recently the global operations director of the filters division. He succeeds Kamal Taneja, who will take up his new role as managing director of Essentra’s packaging division.

    “I am excited to be taking over the new role as managing director of Essentra Filters and I thank Kamal for his hard work and contribution in developing the filters division business under his leadership,” said Pye.

    “Our focus has always been to ensure our customers’ success, which we have built over 80 years of commitment to innovation and excellence in the tobacco industry. We continue to be committed to supporting our partners in innovating new products for the growing heated-tobacco segment and more sustainable products, such as our expanding portfolio of ECO range plastic-free filters.”