Category: Featured

BMJ Completes New Headquarters

Photo: BMJ
BMJ has completed construction of its new headquarters.
Located at the BMJ complex near Jakarta, the building has been positioned to optimize the footprint of the specialty paper and packaging materials supplier. Equipped with the latest security technologies, the facility features comfortable rooms to accommodate visitors.
The building has been designed to minimize its environmental impact. Through the use of extensive greenery and a pool, BMJ has reduced its dependence on artificial climate control methods—a considerable advantage in a hot and humid country like Indonesia. A weaving structure surrounding the building’s facade and roof limits heat gain. Designed by computer and handcrafted by rattan master weavers, the structure offers shade during the day and architecturally pleasing shapes at night.
In designing its new headquarters, BMJ has emphasized utility, effectiveness and efficiency. For example, roster walls promote airflow while exposed ceilings facilitate maintenance. Consistent with BMJ’s philosophy of collaboration, the new facility features open workspaces with minimal partitions.
BMJ says its new headquarters, which were developed during the pandemic, reflect the company’s resilience and innovative spirit. “We believe our new headquarters symbolize every ‘eureka!’ moment we had in the past and will become inspirations for our ‘eureka!’ moments in the future,” the company wrote in a statement, referring to its “Eureka Everyday!” corporate slogan.
September 30, 2021
U.S. IQOS Imports Halted

Photo: theaphotography
The International Trade Commission (ITC) has upheld an initial determination from May 2021 that Philip Morris International’s IQOS device infringes on two patents owned by BAT subsidiary Reynolds American Inc. (RAI).
The agency has instituted an import ban and a cease-and-desist order preventing IQOS consumables and devices from being sold in the U.S. in 60 days. PMI’s U.S. partner, Altria Group, plans to continue to sell IQOS through the 60-day period in its existing markets.
BAT welcomed the ruling. “Infringement of our intellectual property undermines our ability to invest and innovate and thereby reduce the health impact of our business,” the company wrote in a statement. “We will therefore defend our IP robustly across the globe.”
The patents relate to an electronically powered device with a heater to generate an aerosol and expire in October 2026 and November 2031. BAT has filed similar cases globally, including in Germany, the U.K., Japan and Italy.
Morgan Stanley said the ruling would have limited financial impact on PMI and Altria, as IQOS in the U.S. is not a meaningful contributor to the companies’ earnings. The outcome of similar cases brought by BAT against PMI internationally, however, could have a greater impact. But so far, PMI has been successful defending cases in the U.K. and Greece.
The investment bank also noted that the IQOS ban applies to imported product, suggesting it may be overcome by shifting production to the U.S.
The ITC decision will now be reviewed by the U.S. Trade Representative. If the decision is not vetoed within 60 days (only a handful have ever been vetoed), it can be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals, but the import ban would still be in effect throughout an appeals process.
September 30, 2021
Juul2 Launched in the United Kingdom

Photo: steheap
Juul Labs has unveiled its Juul2 device in the U.K.
The device features a more consistent vapor experience, a longer battery life and anti-counterfeit technology.
Launching initially on the Juul.co.uk website on Sept. 30, the Juul2 system has been updated from previous versions with new technology and features based on feedback from smokers.
Among other features, the Juul2 features a more consistent vapor experience, a longer battery life and a smart light system communicating e-liquid level and battery life.
The Juul2 also comes with newly designed tobacco and menthol Juul2 pods (18 mg/mL nicotine strength) and technology to prevent unauthorized use. The device will not work when it detects counterfeit pods.
“We are pleased to launch the next-generation Juul2 in the U.K.,” Juul Labs’ EMEA vice president, Dan Thomson, said in a statement. “A key part of our mission is to transition adult smokers away from cigarettes, the leading cause of preventable death in the world, killing some 90,000 Britons annually.
“We believe the best method to switch adult smokers from combustible cigarettes to a potentially less harmful noncombustible alternative is to provide a product that closely resembles the consistency and experience of smoking. With Juul2, we believe we are taking another step in that direction as we aim to transition even more adult smokers.”
A retail rollout is planned for early 2022, and all U.K. retailers stocking Juul products will continue to uphold the company’s Challenge 25 age verification policy, which includes continued mystery shopping audits.
September 30, 2021
Juul Settlement to Fund Anti-Vaping Research

Photo: steheap
North Carolina will use the $40 million settlement with Juul Labs, announced in June by Attorney General Josh Stein, to help fund research to stop the use of electronic cigarettes among young people, reports The Fayetteville Observer.
“For years, Juul targeted young people, including teens, with its highly addictive e-cigarette,” said Stein. “It lit the spark and fanned the flames of a vaping epidemic among our children—one that you can see in any high school in North Carolina. This win will go a long way in keeping Juul products out of kids’ hands, keeping its chemical vapor out of their lungs and keeping its nicotine from poisoning and addicting their brains.”
Juul Labs will pay North Carolina $13 million in the first year, $8 million the second year, $7.5 million the third year, $7 million the fourth year and $2.25 million the fifth and sixth years. The payout is set to fund programs conducting research and prevention of electronic cigarettes, according to Travis Greer, regional tobacco control manager for the Cumberland County Health Department.
September 29, 2021
Morocco Sets Cigarette Emission Limits

Photo: nikkytok
Cigarettes sold in Morocco will be subject to new emission limits starting in January 2024, reports Morocco World News.
From that date, the emissions of cigarettes imported or manufactured in Morocco and marketed across the country should be at levels not exceeding 10 mg of tar per cigarette, 1 mg of nicotine per cigarette and 10 mg of carbon monoxide per cigarette.
Tobacco companies will be required to declare clear the deliveries on cigarette packages.
The percentages of tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide are measured on the basis of NM ISO 4387 standards for tar, NM ISO 10315 for nicotine and NM ISO 8454 for carbon monoxide. The accuracy of the percentages of tar and nicotine is verified according to the standard NM ISO 8243.
Compliance will be monitored by the Department of Customs and Indirect Taxes. The primary objective of the decree is to align national legislation with international standards.
An estimated 18 percent of Moroccans aged 15 smoke, with nearly 41 percent of the country’s population exposed to secondhand smoke.
September 29, 2021
Thailand OKs New Tobacco Tax Structure

Photo: Jo Panuwat D.
Thailand’s cabinet has approved a new excise tax structure for cigarettes, reports The Bangkok Post, citing a finance ministry source. The measure is expected to take effect Oct. 1.
At present, Thailand levies a 20 percent tax on the retail price for cigarette packs costing up to THB60 ($1.77). If the retail price exceeds THB60 per pack, a 40 percent tax rate is applied.
The cabinet has reportedly agreed to raise the tax rate from 20 percent to 25 percent, including the 40 percent tax rate, together with an adjustment of the retail price, which is at least THB60.
The levy in terms of volume will be raised to THB1.25 per cigarette from THB1.20, with the retail price expected to rise by THB6 to THB8 per pack.
Panuphol Rattanakanjanapatra, governor of the Tobacco Authority of Thailand, has warned that the tax hike will substantially boost the illegal cigarette trade.
September 29, 2021
Tobacco Authority of Thailand Creates Hemp Subsidiary

Photo: kittyfly
The Tobacco Authority of Thailand (TOAT) plans to set up a subsidiary to move into the hemp business, reports The Bangkok Post, citing the state enterprise’s governor, Phanupol Rattanakanjanapatra. The project aims to triple or quadruple tobacco farmers’ incomes.
On Sept. 28, the TOAT signed a memorandum of understanding for hemp business with Santa Fe Farms (Thailand) Co., a subsidiary of Santa Fe Farms LLC in the United States.
Phanupol expects the State Enterprise Policy Office to approve the TOAT’s ambitions in the hemp business within the next couple of months.
TOAT sells 18 billion cigarettes per year. However, a 2017 cigarette excise tax hike has hurt many of its farmers by depressing sales and shrinking the TOAT’s tobacco-buying quota.
The hemp project is intended to help offset farmers’ lower tobacco sales.
September 29, 2021
Taat Arrives in the United Kingdom

Photo: TAAT Global Alternatives
More than 43,000 packs of Taat Original, Smooth and Menthol products have arrived in the United Kingdom and will be dispatched to the London warehouse of Green Global Earth (GGE) following a standard customs inspection. This shipment is part of more than CAD1.2 million ($943,996) worth of Taat purchase orders for distribution in the United Kingdom and Ireland, markets in which GGE is the exclusive Taat distributor.
On Aug. 20, 2021, Taat Global Alternatives announced that Public Health England had issued a Confirmation of Registration authorizing Taat to be sold in Great Britain. The company expects Taat to benefit from several competitive advantages in the United Kingdom, including a lower price point than tobacco cigarettes and the “shelf appeal” of Taat’s colorful packaging in comparison to the plain packaging required by law for all tobacco products. Because Taat does not contain tobacco, it is not subject to the U.K. generic packaging requirements.
Furthermore, based on Philip Morris International’s stated intention to stop selling tobacco cigarettes in the United Kingdom by 2030, Taat will not be competing with bestsellers such as Marlboro in the future.
“Less than one year after the first retail launch of Taat in Ohio, we could not be more enthusiastic about our first international expansion materializing shortly after we cleared the 1,000-store threshold in the United States last week,” said Taat CEO Setti Coscarella in a statement. “GGE has proven to be an invaluable distribution partner for us in navigating the steps required to bring Taat into the United Kingdom and Ireland.
“In addition to our advantages with respect to price and packaging in the United Kingdom, we also believe Taat Menthol can be extremely appealing to smokers of legal age in the U.K. who preferred mentholated tobacco cigarettes before they were banned nationwide last year. All three varieties of Taat will soon be hitting store shelves in both the United Kingdom and Ireland in what we believe will be among the first of many launches in new global markets.”
September 29, 2021
BAT Announces Innovation Hub in Italy

Photo: BAT
BAT will be opening an innovation hub in Trieste, Italy. The company will invest €500 million ($582.2 million) over the next five years in the project.
Covering an area of 20,000 square meters, the hub will host a manufacturing site for BAT’s “new category” products, a digital boutique, an innovation lab and a center of excellence for digital transformation and digital marketing. It will be dedicated to research, development and production of reduced-risk product lines.
The building will be constructed to minimize its environmental impact with the objective of being carbon neutral, with a particular focus on energy efficiency and the use of renewable sources. The facility will also produce energy using a photovoltaic system that converts light into electricity using semiconducting materials.
BAT expects to develop multiple production lines at the facility for the export of reduced-risk products, including Vuse (vapor), Velo (modern oral) and Glo (tobacco-heating products).

The innovation hub will play a key role in our ‘A Better Tomorrow’ transformation as we strive to reduce the health impact of our business.
Kingsley Wheaton, chief marketing officer, BAT
“The innovation hub in Trieste will play a key role in our ‘A Better Tomorrow’ transformation as we strive to reduce the health impact of our business,” said BAT Chief Marketing Officer Kingsley Wheaton in a statement. “Our goal is to create new products, backed by science, that provide adult smokers with enjoyable, less risky alternatives.”
“We are proud to announce the opening of our A Better Tomorrow Innovation Hub, a fundamental part of our transformation goals to reduce the health impact of our business,” said Roberta Palazzetti, president and CEO of BAT Italy and area director for southern Europe. “As a leading center for innovation, Trieste in Italy has been chosen as the home of the project, which demonstrates the capabilities of our country.”
Construction of the structure will begin in mid-November, with the first module scheduled to be completed and activated in May.
September 29, 2021
FDA Urged to Deny All Flavored E-Cigarettes

Photo: Boki
Seven leading public health, medical and parent organizations are urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to expedite decisions on remaining marketing applications for e-cigarettes and promptly deny applications for all flavored e-cigarettes, including menthol-flavored products.
The organizations say they are concerned about these products’ appeal to youth and the adverse impact on public health.
In a letter to acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, the groups also urged the FDA to prioritize enforcement against unauthorized flavored e-cigarettes with the largest market shares and products with the highest prevalence of youth use.
The groups sending the letter are the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Parents Against Vaping E-Cigarettes and Truth Initiative.
Since Sept. 9, the FDA has denied marketing applications for more than 1,167,000 products, but it has yet to issue decisions on e-cigarette brands with the highest market shares, such as Juul, Vuse, NJOY and blu, which make up over 78 percent of the market, according to Nielsen data.
The health groups expressed particular concern that the FDA is still considering whether to authorize any menthol-flavored e-cigarettes and urged the FDA not to do so given the clear evidence that menthol is a flavor that appeals to and is widely used by kids.
“Contrary to the FDA’s Aug. 26 statement that menthol e-cigarette products raise ‘unique considerations’ for purposes of FDA review, we do not believe there is anything ‘unique’ about menthol flavoring that would justify issuance of a marketing order,” the groups wrote in their letter. “Indeed, there is no question that when FDA decided to prioritize enforcement against cartridge-based e-cigarettes in flavors other than menthol and tobacco, youth shifted to using menthol-flavored products.”
September 29, 2021