Category: Filters

A Common Thread

Photo: Celanese
Filter manufacturers face higher prices and tow shortages, though not everybody has been equally affected.
By Stefanie Rossel
Of the roughly 5.2 trillion cigarettes consumed globally each year, 98 percent feature a filter made from cellulose acetate (CA) tow, a thermoplastic cellulose fiber with excellent absorption characteristics manufactured from dissolved wood pulp. Over the past years, suppliers of this base material faced many challenges, among them the continuous decline in global cigarette consumption since 2013, which also meant decreasing demand for tow and cigarette filters.
Since last year, however, the situation has reversed: The market for acetate tow has tightened. In May 2022, Celanese Corp., one of the world’s leading suppliers of acetate tow products, declared force majeure on western hemisphere acetyl chain and acetate tow products because of unanticipated interruptions in raw material supply in the Texas Gulf Coast. The condition was lifted again in December. Celanese Corp. was unavailable for comment.
In the meantime, other tow manufacturers announced price hikes. Cerdia, for example, announced a cost surcharge of $0.46 per kilogram on all acetate tow grade shipments as of March 2022.
Christian Chavassieu
“Last year, prices for acetate pulp went through the roof because of rising costs for wood, chemicals, labor, energy and shipping,” says Christian Chavassieu, managing partner at CelCo Cellulose Consulting in Geneva. “Manufacturers could either accept the price increase or risk a shortage.” Acetate tow suppliers also suffered from other issues, such as a lack of essential chemicals. Acetate tow is made by dissolving wood pulp in a mixture of acetic anhydride and sulfuric acid. The resulting solution is then extruded through small holes to form thin fibers, which are cut into small lengths after cooling.
To create high-purity cellulose pulp as used in acetate tow, 95 percent to 97 percent of the cellulose content has to be extracted. Only a handful of specialized companies are capable of this process. The cellulose “bank” is the world’s biggest source of organic raw material with 700 billion tons, according to CelCo Cellulose Consulting. The overwhelming part of cellulose products manufactured every year is used to manufacture paper, packaging and tissue.
The specialty cellulose industry, of which acetate tow manufacturers are a part, accounts for only 2.5 percent of the entire processed cellulose spectrum. “Hit with higher pulp prices, suppliers of acetate tow have been forced to pass the increase on to their customers. In its recently published second quarter results, Eastman Chemical said that prices for acetate tow went up 33 percent, leading to 32 percent higher selling prices,” says Chavassieu.
Higher selling prices were also due to more efficient use of production facilities. “Some players, such as Eastman, have diversified their mills to produce textile fibers to improve their capacity utilization,” explains Chavassieu.
HTPs Drive Demand
Hyunyoung Park
Hyunyoung Park, sales and business development manager at Taeyoung Industry Corp., a South Korea-based supplier of mono, dual and triple filters, says the scarcity of acetate tow occurred in part to an unplanned production stoppage at a leading supplier. “This trend has not ended and will continue until the balance shows stable figures,” he says.
The increasing popularity of heated-tobacco products (HTPs), too, has contributed to the tight market, according to Robert Pye, CEO of specialty filter manufacturer Filtrona. “We see rapid double-digit growth in HTPs, which basically use different grades of tow but actually increase the amount of tow that is used in comparison with combustible cigarettes because of the filter design. It eats up the decline in demand we have seen from traditional cigarettes.”
Pye also attributes the current challenges in the acetate tow market to the Covid-19 pandemic, which decoupled supply chains. “Before, we were all in a just-in-time sort of mode, developing strategies for our supply chains,” he says. “This has changed—we have seen people wanting to have more inventory in their supply chain. Basically, manufacturers have reduced the risk of shortage and developed a different way of managing supply chains.”
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has left its mark too, with some supply from those locations affected. “This has definitely made the supply chain more complex,” says Pye. Like Chavassieu, he expects these developments to continue. “We’re seeing an inflationary market in acetate tow,” Pye says. “Supply is somewhat tight. It won’t continue up, but how much it comes back would be something the market would have to see. I don’t see too much change for next year.”
Their views are reflected by another major acetate tow manufacturer, Japan-based Daicel, whose management recently forecast that the worldwide demand for cigarettes would gradually start increasing after 2026. Daicel’s management said it anticipated demand for acetate tow to remain stable or increase, driven by the proportion of demand for HTPs, which currently account for 3 percent of the global tobacco market and are expected to increase by 0.5 percent to 1 percent annually in the future.
An increase in the length of cigarette filters to cater to consumers’ growing health awareness and an increase in filter use in countries such as Indonesia, Bangladesh and India were named as further contributing factors. Daicel expected the recent increases in raw material and fuel prices to level off soon but the demand for acetate tow to consistently exceed supply.
Sustainable Solutions
Robert Pye
As a long-time global player with long-term supplier contracts, Filtrona has been unaffected by the shortages, according to Pye. “The way we had our supply chains organized allowed us to grow in double digits that year. We also supply a sustainable range of products, which helped customers in some markets.”
Park adds that his company has noticed new requirements for a secure supply chain and sourcing stability. “Customers are benefiting from the stable supply chain network we have built up and continued during the pandemic,” he says.
Pye notes that the shortage of cellulose acetate has been driving interest in Filtrona’s biodegradable filters, such as the Eco range of products, in more regions, predominantly around western Europe but also elsewhere. “Also, products like BiTech, a mono-segment filter produced in a single pass and offered in various ratios of tow and either paper or other nonwoven materials, thus using less acetate tow than a normal filter, were more sought after,” he says.
While paper-based solutions have traditionally been more expensive than CA filters, the price gap has narrowed recently. “These days, the cost and capability of the nonwoven products are more interesting,” says Pye. “There are certain characteristics to the product line that make them more interesting to compete with acetate tow.”
Excluding China, special filters account for 5 percent of the global market. Of these, Filtrona has a market share of nearly 50 percent. The remaining share is divided between smaller local players. “We see the market growing, mainly in areas where tobacco companies may want to differentiate themselves from other brands, for example, when they operate in regions with plain packaging,” says Pye. “Special filters are also becoming increasingly popular with manufacturers with a maturing customer base, i.e., when consumers are moving up from their gross domestic product, more specialty products come into these markets. India is an example of this: A few years ago, the country had very limited flavor-based products. Today, it has lots of flavors, tubes and other complex filters. The market has more specialty filters in the last two years than in the last 10 years combined.”
Pye thinks this trend will continue. “Filtrona’s task is to bring new filter technologies into these markets,” he says. “That’s why we have a joint venture in China. The Chinese market uses all sorts of slims, such as super slims or demi slims, but not too many combined filters, and previously, there hasn’t been a market for additives either.”
Despite the challenges, the market is quite dynamic, according to Pye, with different regions having requirements for different filters and specialty filters and even in filter supply. “We see this dynamic playing out not on a daily but on a quite regular basis, with sustainability and HTPs becoming more important,” he says. “The challenges in supply chains haven’t quite left us, so I think it’s an interesting time. As a supplier and committed partner to this industry, we’re making sure that we can help the industry move into more sustainable solutions but also ensure they get the supply because their supply chains are challenged as well.”
Stefanie Rossel is Tobacco Reporter’s editorial contributor. An experienced trade journalist, she combines sharp reporting skills with in-depth knowledge of the tobacco and vapor industries. Prior to joining Tobacco Reporter, Stefanie was editor-in-chief at Tobacco Journal International, where she worked for a decade. Fluent in English, German and French, Stefanie covers tobacco news around the world. She is based in Germany.

September 1, 2023
Filtrona Opens New Filters Center

Photo: Filtrona
Filtrona has opened a new Centre of Excellence (COE) in Budapest, Hungary. Combining multiple advanced filter manufacturing machines, the COE will increase the company’s production capacity and speed-to-market of sustainable filter solutions. The COE enables tobacco companies to develop and manufacture a portfolio of sustainable tobacco products by leveraging Filtrona’s expertise in innovative filter designs, processing methods and knowledge of materials.
The COE combines Filtrona’s extensive experience in manufacturing non-woven filters with advanced, high-speed production technology and the latest testing methods to produce sustainable filters for various tobacco product applications. These include cigarettes, heated tobacco products, cigarillos, cigars, and RYO and MYO cigarettes.
Globally, consumers and regulators are pushing for more environmentally sustainable solutions for consumer goods, according to Filtrona. Likewise, the tobacco industry is seeking plastic-free alternatives by focusing on the use of wood pulp based non-woven materials, such as papers. The EU Single-Use Plastic Directive provides a roadmap for the phasing-out of single-use plastics, which includes cellulose acetate tow. Using the EU Directive as a blueprint, tobacco companies in territories outside the EU are expected to follow a similar path in reducing single-use plastics over time.
“As the world’s leading producer of sustainable filter solutions, Filtrona is advancing our sustainability journey by launching our Centre of Excellence to expand our portfolio of sustainable products at a faster pace,” said Filtrona’s Global Director of Innovation and ESG Hugo Azinheira. “With the EU SUPD driving a wider adoption of plastic-free tobacco products, our new production line has the capability to meet the evolving needs of customers, consumers, and regulators rapidly.”

August 1, 2023
Filtrona Launches Plastic-Free Filter

Image: Filtrona
Filtrona launched its latest plastic-free innovation, ECO Tube Triple Carbon Filter, at TabExpo in Bologna May 10-11, 2023.
According to Filtrona, the ECO Tube Triple Carbon is a patent-pending sustainable plastic-free filter design that offers similar nicotine delivery to current filters, with a unique end visual and clean post-smoking.
The ECO Tube Triple Carbon Filter meets EU Single Use Plastics Directive requirements, is biodegradable and, based on internal studies, degrades more rapidly than filters constructed with cellulose acetate, attaining 90 percent biodegradation in 90 days. With a similar nicotine delivery as the acetate version of Tube Triple Carbon, its carbon loading capability is up to four times higher compared to existing impregnated carbon paper, according to Filtrona.
ECO Tube Triple Carbon Filter offers cigarette manufacturers an extensive array of customizable designs in various lengths, circumferences, pressure drops, carbon types, carbon sizes and configurations for ECO Tube combined segments, with each construction designed to enhance a particular brand and suit customer taste and filtration requirements.
“With sustainability at the heart of our business, we are committed to developing more renewable, degradable and sustainable products,” said Filtrona CEO Robert Pye.
The Bologna event was the first TabExpo show for the newly rebranded Filtrona, which adopted its former name earlier this year. Tobacco Reporter published an in-depth report about Filtrona’s rebranding in its March 2023 issue.
May 31, 2023
Belgium Experts Call for EU-Wide Filter Ban

Image: Tobacco Reporter archive
Filtered cigarettes are equally as unhealthy as unfiltered cigarettes, a Superior Health Council analysis showed, according to The Brussels Times.
The analysis also stated that filters cause a false sense of security and can cause more carcinogenic substances in cigarette smoke.
“Filters in cigarettes do not actually reduce the harmful health effects of smoking. From a public health perspective, they do not offer any benefit while they pollute the environment,” said the report by the Superior Health Council.
Banning filters could make smoking less attractive as well, as filters are said to have a more “pleasant” mouthfeel, reduce sensory irritation in the airways and prevent tobacco from entering the mouth.
“Instead of protecting against lung cancer, the filters have mainly promoted a shift in lung cancer type over the years,” the Superior Health Council concluded, adding that filters are therefore a “false solution” to the health problem caused by smoking.
The Superior Health Council is asking that filters be considered nondegradable single-use plastic products like disposable plastic bags. The council is also suggesting that a filter ban be implemented across the European Union to give it the best chance of success.
April 28, 2023
Dutch Minister: Ban Filters to Reduce Litter

Photo: Yakiv
The best way to prevent cigarette filter litter is a ban, the Netherland’s junior infrastructure minister, Vivianne Heijnen, said in a briefing to Members of Parliament.
An outright ban on filters is the most effective option to achieve the government’s target of reducing filter litter by 70 percent, according to Heijnen. The current model of discouraging smoking and littering, she says, will result in only a 15 percent reduction by 2026.
Cigarette filters contain chemicals and microplastics, which take years to break down. take years to break down.
A filter ban would have to be Europe-wide, Heijnen told Dutch News, because a uniquely Dutch ban would be in contravention of the European free trade agreement. She suggested a ban be included in the 2026 renewal of the European guideline on single-use plastics.
More local bans on smoking at beaches and more smoke-free festivals and smoke-free zones in public spaces are also among the measures Heijnen proposed.
April 24, 2023
Greenbutts to be Featured in Docuseries

Image: Tobacco Reporter archive
Greenbutts, a leader in biodegradable filtration technology, will be featured in the documentary series Viewpoint with Dennis Quaid, according to PR Newswire. The series produces educational documentaries on a range of topics, including business and technology—with a focus on highlighting innovation around the world.
The documentary highlights Greenbutts by raising awareness on the most littered single-use plastic in the world—cigarette filters, according to a press release. In a national spotlight, Greenbutts aims to educate the public about the commercial readiness of its technology to replace trillions of these littered ocean-bound plastics every year with a plant-based and certified biodegradable alternative.
By harnessing the properties of plant fibers, Greenbutts allows global manufacturing partners to sustainably transition away from cellulose acetate—the synthetic plastic used in filters. Without compromising on filtration performance or customer expectations, the innovation can be implemented for scalable adoption and measurable impact, according to the company.
“We are excited to have Greenbutts featured in this latest Viewpoint with Dennis Quaid short documentary and to have the opportunity to illustrate not only the massive problem of single-use plastic litter in our environment but also the steps Greenbutts has taken to help solve this issue with regard to the cigarette industry.”
April 5, 2023
A Future Without Plastics

Photo courtesy of Greenbutts
With its new environmentally friendly technology, Greenbutts wants to tackle the challenge of filter litter.
By Stefanie Rossel
Of the more than 5 trillion cigarettes produced globally each year, the majority ends up in the environment after consumption. Cigarette butts are the most littered plastic item on earth as many smokers don’t consider them to be litter. According to the Truth Initiative, butts have consistently made up 30 percent to 40 percent of all items collected in annual international coastal and urban cleanups since the 1980s.
While most of a cigarette’s components quickly disintegrate when smoked or disposed of, the filter will stick around for some time. Around 98 percent of cigarette filters comprise cellulose acetate (CA), a polymer that is slow to degrade in the environment. It can take up to 14 years for a CA filter to degrade, depending on the conditions of the environment where it has been discarded.
Tadas Lisauskas
“Our estimation is that more than 4 trillion plastic butts are littered every year, and marine life researchers warn that there could be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050,” says Tadas Lisauskas, founder and CEO of California-based Greenbutts. “Urgent action is needed.”
A material-science and impact-driven business, Greenbutts has made it its mission to eliminate CA cigarette litter. The company was founded in 2010 by Lisauskas and Xavier Van Osten, who were newcomers to the cigarette filter business at that time but were acutely aware of the need for a green alternative to the plastics-containing filters polluting the environment.
They soon learned that creating a viable substitute was a science in itself. In addition to degrading quickly when discarded in the environment, a biodegradable filter or filter substrate must meet many requirements, such as adequate smoke chemistry and acceptable sensory performance. The filter must also be suitable for processing on high-speed filter assembly equipment and cigarette making machinery.
To help tackle these challenges, Greenbutts hired a former executive of specialty filter manufacturer Filtrona as technical advisor and teamed up with experts from the U.K. Nonwovens Innovation and Research Institute to evaluate fibers with sufficient porosity and thickness.
Greenbutts spent almost a decade designing and developing filters that provide comparable taste and filtration properties as current CA filters but will disperse in water within several minutes with agitation and begin to degrade in compost within several days.
After years of R&D and testing with tobacco companies, the company came up with a patented substrate and filters made of all-natural, food-grade fibers, such as abaca fiber, cotton flock and industrial hemp as well as a starch-based binder, which were introduced to the market in the summer of 2019. The product is sold in bulk or as ready-made rods of filters and filter tips. The blend of materials allows for the same filter manufacturing rates as acetate filters, according to Greenbutts.

Greenbutts’ patented substrate and filters are made with all-natural, food-grade fibers.
Better Alternative
Greenbutts is now ready to take its innovation to the next level. In November, the company introduced Greenbossing, a trademarked process developed with Boegli-Gravures. According to the companies, the innovation will revolutionize Greenbutts’ filter rod manufacturing. “We want to offer to the tobacco industry not just an alternative but the state-of-the-art solution,” explains Lisauskas. “We believe we are creating the next generation of biodegradable filters by introducing our patented Greenbossing technology. Boegli and Greenbutts are actively innovating together and leading a sustainability pathway and building the future today. The Greenbossing technology arrives at the perfect time to accelerate the transitioning from cellulose acetate, which is a single-use plastic (SUP), to Greenbutts’ fully biodegradable and water dispersible substrate. The innovation will enhance the existing filtration capabilities and sensorial experience and much more, setting the Greenbutts substrate far ahead of all competitors and establishing a new ‘gold standard’ for cigarette filters.”
CA filters are still considered the gold standard in cigarette filtration. While it is still early days, Lisauskas believes they may very well lose that position to his Greenbossing products. “The initial analytical lab tests have shown promising results, and we will be able to share them in due time,” he says.
Regulatory Pressure
In recent years, awareness of the cigarette litter problem has increased. Several countries are considering legislation to reduce cigarette butt waste. In July 2021, the European Union enacted its Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD). While the SUPD does not oblige tobacco manufacturers to use plastics-free cigarette filters, it requires producers to fund consumer awareness campaigns, extended producer responsibility schemes and tobacco filter collection initiatives from December 2023.
Luis Sanchez
“The question is not if the CA plastic filters will be banned; the question is when they will be banned,” says Luis Sanches, chief strategy officer at Greenbutts. “The CA butts are the No. 1 most littered single-used plastic item in the world, and there is no logical reason to stop them from being banned. Many other SUPs have already been banned, such as plastic straws, cutlery, plastic bags, plastic cups. And the banning of the CA plastic filters is simply a matter of time. The tobacco business is aware of this, and there is clear indication that they are fully committed to drive the change. We at Greenbutts believe that through awareness and education, the industry will eventually drive the change, the regulators will enforce the change, consumers will deliver the change. We at Greenbutts are facilitating this change to occur.”
Despite the significant problem of cigarette litter, CA filters continue to dominate the market. Not only because CA has been a tried-and-tested, cost-effective material but also because there were no external incentives, such as stricter regulations, encouraging a rethink. In the U.S., the expensive regulatory approval process for new products actually presented a barrier to more environmentally friendly filters. In the first years since the launch, Greenbutts therefore marketed its product to hemp cigarette manufacturers and the marijuana industry.

With agitation, Greenbutts’ filter will disperse in water within several minutes. In the environment, it will start degrading into compost within several days.
Into the Future
The Greenbossing technology may help Greenbutts overcome the regulatory hurdle. “The FDA authorization is a lengthy and meticulous process,” says Lisauskas. “It requires a lot of data, patience and solid science. We have already started the process with the collaboration of world-class scientists and our legal team to embark on this challenging journey.”
As rules for environmental protection tighten around the world, cigarette filter manufacturers and other industry players have stepped up their efforts to provide alternatives to CA-based filters. Most of these solutions, however, are made from paper, a substrate that presents challenges. For example, paper behaves differently than cellulose acetate so that it requires adjustments in the design of the filter and cigarette, and it often comes with a characteristic taste and smell.
“The sensory performance, I would say, is the most challenging factor to overcome,” says Lisauskas. “The chemically and physically modified filaments of cellulose acetate associated with the plasticizer, triacetin, make the plastic filter a very well-designed filtration tool for several chemical compounds present in tobacco smoke.”
The Greenbutts filter with the Greenbossing technology, by contrast, utilizes natural fibers, specifically selected for their sensorial neutrality, filtration capability and mechanical strength. This combination minimizes natural variability, enables airflow control and reduces paper filters’ cellulosic sensorial notes, according to Lisauskas.
The company has recently experienced a clear and growing interest from EU-based tobacco companies in its product. “We can attest that other organizations, outside the EU, want to take the lead on the sustainability agenda by giving consumers what they are looking for: authentic products, no plastic, no chemicals, no additives, and all-natural alternatives,” says Lisauskas.
Sanches hopes that because of the further benefits delivered by the Greenbossing process, the tobacco industry will adopt Greenbossing eventually as its new standard for both combustible and heated-tobacco products. “And it will open up further opportunities for other combustible products beyond tobacco,” he says.
The company already has some experience with heated products. In August 2021, Greenbutts entered into an agreement with Poda Lifestyle and Wellness, which uses the biodegradable filters in its Beyond Burn Poda Pods.
Greenbutts is currently evaluating heated-tobacco products, Lisauskas relates. “There is nothing that should impede the successful application to this sector,” he says. “The Greenbossing process should deliver the perfect match.”
Stefanie Rossel is Tobacco Reporter’s editorial contributor. An experienced trade journalist, she combines sharp reporting skills with in-depth knowledge of the tobacco and vapor industries. Prior to joining Tobacco Reporter, Stefanie was editor-in-chief at Tobacco Journal International, where she worked for a decade. Fluent in English, German and French, Stefanie covers tobacco news around the world. She is based in Germany.

March 1, 2023
Study: Filter Ban Only Way to Halt Pollution

Photo: Yakiv
Banning cigarette filters is the only way to stop tobacco product pollution, according to a new study published by the Dutch sustainability think tank CE Delft and reported by Dutch News.
Every year, Dutch smokers discard an estimated 200 million to 7.1 billion cigarette butts into the environment.
The current policy of limiting toxic waste by discouraging smoking is not working, according to CE Delft. The organization is also skeptical about the potential of butt deposit schemes. Consumer research has shown that just over one quarter of smokers said they would be willing to hold on to their butts until they had an opportunity to discard them at a collection point.
Dutch Junior Environment Minister Vivianne Heijnen wants to reduce the number of discarded filters, which contain plastics and chemicals, by 70 percent in 2026. The current measures, which include general awareness campaigns and a smoking ban on beaches, have resulted in only a 15 percent decrease, CE Delft found.
In 2022 alone, volunteers collected almost 90,000 cigarette butts during a two-week cleanup of the Dutch beaches, amid 4,400 kilos of waste left by beachgoers.
A ban on cigarette filters will become feasible in 2026 when the European Union will review its rules on single-use plastics, the report noted.
February 27, 2023
Essentra Filters Rebrands as Filtrona
Following the announcement about a change of ownership, the former filters and tapes businesses of Essentra will now begin the process of rebranding as Filtrona.
“This is an exciting time for our business, marking a new chapter in our journey to build a global market-leading company that supports our partners to transform and grow,” said Filtrona CEO Robert Pye in a statement.
“Many of our customers and suppliers will know that Filtrona was the company name prior to rebranding to Essentra plc. Having talked to them about our plans, it was clear that the Filtrona name represented a rich history of innovation and partnership. It was only right that we adopted the brand again, which had such a strong foundation, and gave it a fresh contemporary design to take us forward.”
With its rebrand well underway, the business enters 2023 with exciting plans for the future.
“Both the tobacco and packaging industries are focused on driving innovation in response to ever-changing consumer preferences,” says Pye. “Our customers therefore need global partners that are investing in the future of their business.
“At Filtrona, we now have a truly global presence with facilities in all major markets worldwide supported by a 2,000-strong team of talented employees working across our 11 manufacturing locations, 3 innovation centers, an accredited laboratory and a center of excellence focused on sustainability. Our mission is to be a responsible, customer-focused innovation leader creating excellence in sustainable solutions for today and tomorrow. We look forward to delivering on this commitment.”
“We are delighted to welcome Filtrona into our diverse portfolio,” said a representative of the new shareholder. “The business has a rich heritage in providing innovative solutions to a well-established customer base with a global footprint, high quality people and exciting prospects. We continue to support our partners through the next phase of growth relying on our combined expertise in identifying and unlocking value creation opportunities.”
February 2, 2023
Cleaning Up

Photo: SWM
SWM’s new fiber-based filter media takes the plastic out of the cigarette.
By Stefanie Rossel
In addition to the health hazard they pose to users, combustible cigarettes also threaten the environment. Cigarette butts remain the most littered item on earth. According to World Health Organization estimates, 4.5 tons of cigarette filters are discarded in our planet’s natural habitats and waterways each year. Made from cellulose acetate (CA), cigarette filters take up to 18 years to disintegrate.
However, there is hope. In the tobacco industry’s move toward less harmful nicotine-delivery systems, sustainability plays an increasingly important role. In addition, the industry got a regulatory push toward using more environmentally friendly filters when the European Union introduced its Single-Use Plastics Directive in 2021.
The directive bans selected single-use products made of plastic for which alternatives exist on the market: cotton bud sticks, cutlery, plates, straws, stirrers, sticks for balloons, as well as cups, food and beverage containers made of expanded polystyrene and all products made of oxo-degradable plastic. The extended producer responsibility legislation, scheduled to come into effect in January 2023 for tobacco filters, appears to be behind schedule.
And there is more regulation to come: In March 2022, members of the United Nations Environmental Assembly agreed to propose by 2024 a legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution that includes the marine environment. Cigarette butts are the most common plastic litter on beaches. They represent a hazard for marine life as animals can ingest the trash, exposing them to harmful chemicals. These can also make their way up through the food chain, threatening human health on a global scale.
To help tobacco customers reduce the environmental impact of their products, SWM in June launched Evolute, a range of fiber-based filtering media that can replace CA in filters. Depending on the environment, filters made from Evolute degrade in a few weeks. In October, Germany’s technical inspection association TUV granted “OK biodegradable soil” and “OK biodegradable marine” certifications to Evolute.
Full Support Package
The new filter media are part of SWM’s ongoing efforts to provide its customers with alternative sustainable solutions and support, says Alice Jaussaud, product manager for Evolute filtering media at SWM. “We are going beyond the filter media themselves, offering the full support to design a cigarette with the purpose to work with customers and offer our expertise to the tobacco industry in its transition,” she says.
The company already has a natural fiber filter solution on the market, according to Cedric Rousseau, SWM’s tobacco solutions research, innovation and development director. Several big company brands use paper filters. “Paper behaves differently than cellulose acetate, so it calls for some adjustment in terms of design of the filter and the cigarette,” says Rousseau. “This is where SWM as a supplier of various materials to the industry can provide support to its customers to properly adjust the filter media and design of ventilation, filters and characteristics of the cigarette.”
While the company’s most recent development has just been introduced, SWM is already working on the next generation of alternative solutions. “The idea is to use the filter solution as a plug-and-play solution as compared to CA media,” says Rousseau. “Our vision is to offer the industry a wide range of different plastic-free media products so they can play depending on the market, the regulations and the consumer expectations in terms of sensory profile and taste.”
The Evolute range includes industrial and scalable products with proven filtration performance, filter pressure drop stability and perfect fit to crimped filter makers, according to SWM. In addition to conventional cigarettes, they are suitable for filter tips for roll-your-own, make-your-own, cigarillos and heated-tobacco products (HTPs), says Jaussaud.
The company has an R&D group focusing specifically on HTPs. “The filter of an HTP has a different role than that of a combustible cigarette,” says Rousseau. “Some HTP filters are more for the cooling, others for the filtration of the aerosol. With the dedicated group, we have a better understanding now.”
Drawing on its expertise with papers for the tobacco industry, SWM partners not only with companies that develop filters but also with filter-making equipment manufacturers.
Sustainable Plug and Play
The often-used argument that CA is the gold standard in terms of filtration properties and smoke chemistry may soon be outdated, according to Rousseau. At its Le Mans site, SWM has set up a sensory group to evaluate consumables for HTPs and combustible cigarettes. “Biodegradability and the environmental impact are important, but taste and tar retention are obviously important as well,” says Rousseau.
“We have observed that our standard paper filter that has been on the market for some time needs to be properly used because it has an impact on tar retention. Consequently, tar retention also has an impact on taste where we must develop the right design. The next generation of filtering media we’re currently working on should have the same performance, taste and experience as well as the same physical attributes as a CA but is paper based.”
Instead of a mere substitute for CA filters, SWM aims to provide an alternative with additional features, such as sustainability, Rousseau emphasizes. He is confident that the consumer is ready for such changes. “We are moving away from wanting to have something that behaves and tastes like CA filters to something that we believe consumers will be looking for in the future. We provide a lot of value with biodegradable cigarettes,” he says.
The EU Single-Use Plastics directive has been a clear catalyst accelerating the change to plastic-free filter alternatives, notes Jaussaud. However, she sees demand beyond the EU when talking to her customers. “Similar regulations are under discussion in the U.S., Canada, Australia and other countries,” says Jaussaud.
“What started as a regulatory push now looks more and more like a consumer demand,” she explains. “Consumers don’t want to see cigarette butts on the beach anymore, and they think it would be good to have something with less pollution. They are looking for such solutions, and manufacturers are considering that beyond regulation.”
Stefanie Rossel is Tobacco Reporter’s editorial contributor. An experienced trade journalist, she combines sharp reporting skills with in-depth knowledge of the tobacco and vapor industries. Prior to joining Tobacco Reporter, Stefanie was editor-in-chief at Tobacco Journal International, where she worked for a decade. Fluent in English, German and French, Stefanie covers tobacco news around the world. She is based in Germany.

December 1, 2022