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Tag: alternative

  • Altria and KT&G Partner in Pursuit of Modern Nicotine Growth

    Altria and KT&G Partner in Pursuit of Modern Nicotine Growth

    Altria Group, Inc. and KT&G Corporation announced they have signed a non-binding global collaboration memorandum of understanding (MOU) “to pursue joint growth opportunities in modern oral nicotine, non-nicotine wellness products, and operational efficiency in traditional tobacco.” The partnership builds on Altria’s long-term goal of expanding into adjacent international categories beyond cigarettes, first outlined in 2023.

    The companies said their complementary strengths would accelerate innovation and market expansion. As an initial step, an Altria subsidiary will acquire an ownership interest in Sweden-based Another Snus Factory (ASF), concurrent with KT&G’s purchase of the company, giving both parties a foothold in the LOOP nicotine pouch brand. They also plan to evaluate ways to expand Altria’s on! and on! PLUS oral nicotine products to select markets.

    Beyond nicotine, the collaboration extends into the U.S. wellness and energy space through Altria and KT&G’s Korea Ginseng Corporation, which will jointly explore new product opportunities. The two firms will also work to improve operational efficiency in traditional tobacco businesses, with the aim of strengthening competitiveness and creating transferable capabilities for future international smoke-free ventures.

  • Haypp Calls for Boycott on Champagne, France, After Pouch Ban

    Haypp Calls for Boycott on Champagne, France, After Pouch Ban

    Global nicotine pouch retailer Haypp is urging its customers to boycott champagne and avoid traveling to France as a holiday destination in response to the nation’s decision to impose a total ban on nicotine pouches and other oral nicotine products beginning in March 2026. While describing the campaign as “tongue-in-cheek,” Haypp’s head of legal and external affairs Markus Lindblad said France is removing safer alternatives for its roughly 23% smoking population, while allowing cancer-causing chewing tobacco to remain on the market.

    The ban, announced by the French government on September 5, will cover pouches, gums, and liquids unless classified as medicinal products or medical devices. Critics, including Sweden, Italy, and Greece, have warned that the move is disproportionate and undermines smoking reduction efforts. Lindblad is one of those critics, arguing the new law will criminalize possession as well as sale, meaning both residents and tourists could face fines or imprisonment for carrying nicotine pouches in France. U.K. holiday travelers and other visitors, he said, risk prosecution if caught with the products.

    Haypp also warned that prohibition could fuel black markets, driving nicotine pouch demand underground into unregulated channels, raising further health risks.

  • EU Commission to Talk Alternative Tobacco Taxes

    EU Commission to Talk Alternative Tobacco Taxes

    Tobacco tax reform is not on the EU’s agenda for 2025, however, the Polish Presidency Council (which sits atop the Commission along with Denmark and Cyprus until June) is looking to move forward with discussions for taxing alternative tobacco products, according to a non-paper seen by Euractiv.

    Unlike cigarettes, alternative products do not fall under the EU-wide excise framework. The non-paper notes that the tobacco market has undergone “dramatic changes” in recent years, with novel products like e-cigarettes, heated tobacco, and nicotine pouches rapidly gaining popularity.

    EU diplomats are scheduled to discuss the matter today as part of the working party on Indirect Taxation. Euractiv reported that sources close to the discussion confirmed that some industry players are mounting pressure on the Commission to tax new products to avoid an outright ban as their regulatory limbo drags on.

    Each country is free to make its own rules in terms of handling tobacco products. For example, France recently banned disposable e-cigarettes and this week reportedly will do the same for nicotine pouches, joining countries such as Germany, Austria, Belgium, and Luxembourg that have already done so. Other countries are looking to take it even further.

    “We don’t just need a smoke-free generation, we need a nicotine-free generation,” Estonian Health Minister Riina Sikkut said. “Many health ministers support this idea. After the pharmaceutical package, tobacco legislation should be next.”