Category: Filters

Industry Cheers Tax on Acetate Tow

Photo: Tobacco Reporter archive
Legally operating tobacco companies have welcomed Pakistan’s plan to impose a federal excise duty (FED) on acetate tow, reports The Express Tribune.
While presenting the federal budget in the National Assembly on June 12, 2024, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb proposed imposing an FED of PKR44,000 ($158) per kg on acetate tow, a basic raw material used in manufacturing filters.
Aurangzeb said the recommended FED would burden only the informal sector. Because Pakistan does not produce acetate tow, cigarette manufacturers import the material from other countries.
During his presentation, the minister lamented the widespread availability of illicit, smuggled and tax-evaded cigarettes in Pakistan.
The market share of illicit cigarettes has grown to 63 percent at present from around 40 percent a few years ago. While at least 24 cigarette manufacturers operate in Pakistan, less than a handful are registered with the government. The two leading formal tobacco companies alone pay 98 percent of the total tax collected from the cigarette industry. Some politicians are reportedly involved in the manufacture of undocumented cigarettes.
One official said the government could potentially collect PKR550 billion from cigarette manufacturers if it succeeds in bringing the out-of-tax-net makers into the tax net.
Earlier governments imposed heavy taxes on cigarettes to discourage people from smoking. However, instead of decreasing cigarettes sales, the strategy mostly diverted smokers to non-tax-paid cigarettes.
Cigarette manufacturers have been urging the government to crack down on illicit cigarette sales and more forcefully enforce the country’s track-and-trace system. They say that half-hearted implementation has badly hit the formal sector while providing an opportunity for illicit cigarette manufacturers to thrive.
June 14, 2024
Filtrona Opens Upgraded Innovation Center

From left to right: Joyce Ng, global HR director; Hugo Azinheira, global director, innovation and ESG; Robert Pye, CEO, and Kow Lay Moi, global operations director. (Photo: Filtrona)
Filtrona inaugured its expanded Filtrona Innovation Centre (FIC) in Surabaya, Indonesia, on May 29.
The 2,242 square meter FIC houses an R&D facility and accredited scientific services labs that provide independent tobacco analytical testing services. The upgraded facility features a new exhibition area, co-working space and a heated tobacco product (HTP) testing lab that has tripled its capacity to meet growing demand. Filtrona also invested in a new HTP testing machine and a puff-by-puff aerosol analysis machine.
The expansion of the facility follows Filtrona’s recent launch of its new Boreas range of HTP filters.
The R&D facility includes a production area for manufacturing filter samples, a smoke test room, and a filter library with more than 11,000 filter designs produced from the 1950s to the present day.
“With innovation at the heart of Filtrona, the FIC is a key node in our global operations and is instrumental in the design, testing and manufacture of specialty filter solutions for our customers,” said Filtrona CEP Robert Pye in a statement.
“We will continue to invest in innovation and R&D to better serve our customers in product development and diversification, supported by our advanced knowledge on filtration, innovative designs, cutting-edge solutions for next-generation products, and alternative sustainable materials”.
The FIC is part of Filtrona’s global network of innovation centers in Asia and Europe. Filtrona’s presence in Indonesia dates to 1976, when it established a site in Medan, North Sumatra. It moved to its current site in Surabaya in 1987.
May 29, 2024
Greenbutts Qualifies on Next-Gen Machinery

Photo: Greenbutts
Greenbutts has successfully completed filter conversion qualification with Aiger Group.
Tadas Lisauskas
“Our consistent innovation and unique intellectual property related to our biodegradable filter technology empower our multinational partners to achieve their plastic reduction objectives without compromising the sensory experience that smokers expect,” said Greenbutts CEO Tadas Lisauskas in a statement.
“Collaborating with Aiger, we envision significant success in the European market, where changing environmental regulations necessitate the adoption of plastic-free alternatives.”
“More than 10 years ago, we recognized Greenbutts’ innovation and creativity. We shared their vision, and since that time, we have developed state-of-the-art machinery for their products,” said Courtland MacDuff, executive board member and director at Aiger Engineering.
“Aiger took steps early on to engineer new machines to produce high-quality filter rods using natural, nonplastic materials. The task was not only to modernize the process but to do it better and differently. Aiger’s Bio-FleX production line hit the targets and stands today as the most advanced and versatile filter maker in this new segment.”
May 14, 2024
Filtrona Launches HTP Filters

Photo: Filtrona
Filtrona has launched a series of new filters for heated-tobacco products (HTP), the Boreas range.
The new range includes Boreas SideFlow, a patent-pending filter with a simplified design, and Boreas CoolBridge, which combines the company’s ECO Paper Bridge cooling segment with mono acetate and its Finewall Tube to create a balanced retention and cooling mechanism.
“As more of our customers move into the rapidly growing HTP market, the launch of our Boreas range of HTP filters is timely and exciting for consumers and the wider industry alike,” said Filtrona Global Director of Innovation and ESG Hugo Azinheira in a statement. “We are thrilled to support our customers with a dedicated range of HTP filters that bear the hallmark of our innovative and unique designs.”
Azinheira said HTP customers would benefit from Filtrona’s considerable expertise. “Our industry knowledge helps companies to catch emerging trends, adapt to changes and build strong brands,” he said.
“For any of our customers that are looking to enter the HTP segment, collaborating with our team of experts can significantly speed up the product development and commercialization processes, giving them a crucial edge in the market.”
May 7, 2024
Support for Filter Ban at Pollution Summit

Photo: Gagula
Government delegations expressed support for a ban on cigarette filters during the fourth Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-4) to develop an international legally binding treaty on ending plastic pollution, according to Action on Smoking and Health (ASH).
During the weeklong conference, which adjourned April 29, negotiators sought to regulate plastic products according to their utility and environmental harm, with nonessential, polluting plastics slated for complete bans.
At the INC-4 negotiations, several countries proposed banning cigarette filters, including Peru, Panama and Switzerland. The World Health Organization also made a joint statement with the Secretariat of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) to call for a cigarette filter and other single-use tobacco plastic product waste ban. Their joint statement called on the INC to acknowledge a WHO FCTC COP10 decision on the environmental impact of tobacco.
The list of plastics to be banned will be finalized at INC-5 starting Nov. 25, 2024, in Busan, Republic of Korea.
Roughly 4.5 trillion used filters, or cigarette butts, are tossed into the environment each year, according to ASH. Filters are made of cellulose acetate that breaks down into microplastics and leaches toxins and carcinogens into terrestrial and aquatic environments.
“It’s essential to remember that we don’t need industry permission to build a healthy environment, free from trillions of cigarette butts and other harmful plastics. We must demand our right to a healthy environment, and governments have a duty, both ethical and legal, to provide it,” said ASH. Executive Director Laurent Huber in a statement. “The right to a healthy environment has been recognized by the U.N. General Assembly. Banning cigarette filters is a step in the right direction to protecting those and many other essential human rights.”
Recycling cigarette filters is not a viable solution, according to ASH. Even if a substantial fraction of cigarette butts could be collected, there is no process for removing the toxins, recycling the plastic or turning the recycled plastic into other products.
May 1, 2024
Okman Joins Filtrona as Commercial Director

Lutfu Okman (Photo courtesy of Filtrona)
Filtrona has appointed Lutfu Okman as its new global commercial director.
Okman brings with him over 25 years of commercial leadership experience, including senior management roles with multinational companies in the textiles, chemical and manufacturing industries.
He succeeds Hywel Thomas, who has announced his retirement after 10 years with the company.
“We are really pleased to welcome Lutfu to the Filtrona family,” said Filtrona CEO Robert Pye in a statement. “His proven track record of strategic commercial growth and wealth of experience make him an ideal fit for the role, and he is primed to drive our ambitious growth strategy. Lutfu plays a pivotal role in shaping Filtrona’s commercial endeavors and fostering sustainable long-term growth.”
“I am thrilled to join Filtrona at such an exciting time in its journey, particularly during the 100-year anniversary of the company’s first patented filter,” said Okman. “I look forward to collaborating with the talented and passionate Filtrona team to drive our commercial strategy, deliver exceptional value to our customers, and contribute to the company’s continued growth.”
Pye also expressed his gratitude for Thomas’ dedication and contributions to Filtrona. “Hywel’s leadership, strategic vision, and sharp business acumen have been invaluable to Filtrona, helping to make us the successful and dynamic global business that we are today. We sincerely thank Hywel and wish him the very best in his well-earned retirement.”
March 12, 2024
Bratislava To Build Roads With Butts

Image: visualpower
The city of Bratislava will embark on a project to turn discarded cigarette butts into asphalt in 2024, reports BNN Breaking.
In collaboration with the municipal waste management company, the Slovakian capital has set up containers to collect cigarette filters from combustible cigarettes and tobacco-heating products.
The collected waste will be converted into special fibers that can be used as an ingredient in manufacturing asphalt. Slovakia already has a road built with asphalt created with cigarette filters near Ziar and Hronom.
An estimated two-thirds of the 18 billion cigarettes smoked worldwide are discarded improperly.
January 8, 2024
Filtrona Launches Cannabis Division

Photo: yellowj
Filtrona has launched Cannatrona, a dedicated division serving the cannabis and hemp market.
The Cannatrona business supplies filter tips, mouthpieces and pre-roll solutions for cannabis and hemp products, alongside scientific services.
“The cannabis and hemp industry is seeing rapid expansion, but the regulatory landscape is also shifting at speed,” said Filtrona CEO Robert Pye in a statement. “What businesses in this field need is a partner with a proven track record of quality, innovation, brand development and compliance, and that’s exactly what Cannatrona offers. With the company’s launch, we’re looking to propel the sector to even greater heights in a transformative and meaningful way.”
“In any growing market, new businesses can be found all along the supply chain,” said Jeni Sperry, head of new business development at Cannatrona. “However, Cannatrona has something that the rest don’t, and that’s the century-long experience of Filtrona, one of the world’s leading special filter brands. For cannabis and hemp product innovators, we’re not just introducing filter tip and mouthpiece products to the market, we’re bringing expertise, innovation and a very bright future.”
December 1, 2023
Butts Pollution Costs $26 Billion: Study

Photo: Funkenzauber
The costs of environmental pollution caused by plastics in cigarette butts and packaging amount to an estimated $26 billion every year in waste management and marine ecosystem damage worldwide, according to a data analysis published online in Tobacco Control.
To gauge the global economic toll of tobacco waste, Deborah K. Sy of the Global Center for Good Governance in Tobacco Control in Bangkok drew on public data sources for cigarette sales, cleanup costs and plastic waste on land and sea.
The average weight of each plastic filter is 3.4 grams. As cigarette butts are often littered along with plastic packaging, which weighs an average 19 grams for a standard pack size of 20 cigarettes, this was also included in the calculations.
The researcher estimated the annual projections of the environmental and economic costs of tobacco plastic based on the tonnage. Ten-year projections were included because cigarette butts are reported to take 10 years to degrade.
The total figure reflects cost estimates of cleanup and disposal (adjusted for inflation) of the total plastic generated by filtered cigarette sales potentially ending up as waste in the sea, landfills or in the environment.
Sy estimated that the annual economic cost of cigarette plastic waste is around $26 billion, made up of $20.7 billion in marine ecosystem damage and $5 billion in waste management costs, adding up to $186 billion over 10 years.
The costs of tobacco product plastic pollution are likely highest in China, Indonesia, Japan, Bangladesh and the Philippines, the estimates suggest.
The research was funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies.
November 30, 2023
Filter Makers Partner for Biodegradables

Photo: DragonImages
Greenbutts and Filtrona have established a partnership to manufacture biodegradable filters for tobacco companies in the U.S.
Under the joint development agreement Filtrona will lease a manufacturing machine from Greenbutts to produce biodegradable filters using proprietary technology. The partnership supports the strategy of both companies to drive the industry’s transformation by providing alternative sustainable filter solutions to traditional cellulose acetate filters.
“In response to the detrimental impact of plastic pollution on our planet, there is an urgent need to address the No. 1 most littered item globally. Greenbutts has pioneered proprietary technology and advanced material science to bring a novel, performance-driven plastic alternative to the tobacco industry,” said Greenbutts CEO Tadas Lisauskas in a statement.

By partnering with Filtrona, this joint endeavor is set to transform the way cigarettes are manufactured, with post-consumer waste and our planet front of mind.
Tadas Lisauskas, CEO, Greenbutts
“Our certified biodegradable technology offers a new alternative to single-use plastic filters, providing a pathway for the industry to embrace environmental sustainability without compromising performance or consumer experience. By partnering with Filtrona, a company committed to driving positive change within the industry, this joint endeavor is set to transform the way cigarettes are manufactured, with post-consumer waste and our planet front of mind.”

We believe that by collaborating with other suppliers who share our environmental goals, we can meet the growing demand for sustainable products more rapidly.
Robert Pye, CEO, Filtrona
“We recognize that our customers are increasingly seeking sustainable products, and we are on a journey with them to support this transformation alongside Greenbutts with our advanced filter technology and portfolio of renewable, degradable and sustainable filters that can meet their product and regulatory needs,” said Filtrona CEO Robert Pye.
“Today, Filtrona alone cannot meet the volume requirements in terms of sustainable filter conversion. We believe that by collaborating with other suppliers who share our environmental goals, we can meet the growing demand for sustainable products more rapidly. This joint development with Greenbutts is the first of many such collaborations which we will embark on to help drive the industry forward,” said Pye.
“We believe that true impact can be achieved through strategic collaboration, and that’s why we are partnering with Filtrona,” said Lisauskas. “Our dedicated innovation hub is committed to fostering new technology, collaboration and knowledge exchange, propelling the industry towards a more sustainable future.”
October 24, 2023