Côte d’Ivoire has become the second African country, joining Mauritius, to implement plain packaging requirements for tobacco products, with all cigarettes sold from Aug. 3 required to comply with the new rules. The measure completes implementation of the country’s 2019 Tobacco Control Act and aligns with recommendations under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control by requiring standardized packaging and prohibiting logos, branding and other promotional elements.
Tag: Plain Packaging
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Iceland Proposes Plain Packaging, Tighter Controls
Iceland proposed plain packaging for all tobacco products and new restrictions on nicotine products under a draft bill from the Health Minister. The measures would standardize packaging, set a maximum nicotine content, allow restrictions on flavored nicotine products, and tighten online, cross-border, and home-delivery sales.
The bill would align rules for cigarettes and e-cigarettes, strengthen penalties, and expand restrictions on where tobacco and nicotine products can be used, with exemptions for some nursing-home residents and hospital patients. The proposal follows Norway’s 2018 plain-packaging rules, although research cited in the draft material found little or no measurable effect from the policy.
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Vape Group Says UK Retailers Face £330M in Losses from New Packaging Rules
Vaping advocacy group We Vape warned that proposed UK restrictions on the packaging, appearance, and display of vaping products could cost retailers, wholesalers, and manufacturers more than £330 million while providing no proven social benefit, according to Asian Trader. Citing the government’s impact assessment, the group said the measures — including plain packaging, restrictions on device colors and flavor names, and requirements to keep vaping products out of sight in stores — would result in an estimated £328 million in lost profits and £2.8 million in compliance costs for approximately 76,000 retailers. We Vape also criticized the government’s planned £100,000 enforcement budget as inadequate and argued that stronger enforcement of existing underage sales laws would be more effective than imposing additional regulatory burdens on legitimate businesses.
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UK Opens Consultation for Potential Vape Restrictions
Today (July 10), the UK Department of Health and Social Care announced the launch of a 12-week consultation on sweeping new restrictions covering the packaging, appearance, and retail display of vaping, tobacco, and nicotine products under powers granted by the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026. Running through Oct. 2, the consultation proposes requiring vapes to be sold in standardized white packaging with limited branding; restricting devices to black, white, or gray; banning cosmetic lighting and non-essential digital screens; and limiting flavor names to simple descriptors such as “berry” or “mint.” The proposals would also prohibit the public display of vapes at retail, requiring them to be kept out of sight, while extending standardized packaging rules to all tobacco products, including cigars, pipe tobacco, rolling papers, and heated tobacco kits. Tobacco packs would also be required to include government-specified quit-line inserts, and duty-free stores and airports would lose exemptions allowing tobacco displays.
If adopted, the measures would require manufacturers and retailers to redesign packaging, update product portfolios, and modify store layouts, while further reducing opportunities for brand differentiation. The government said the proposals are intended to curb youth vaping while preserving access for adults using vaping products to quit smoking. Health Secretary James Murray said the consultation aims to make vaping “less attractive for children and young people,” citing concerns over colorful packaging and youth-oriented product names. According to Action on Smoking and Health, 19% of 11- to 17-year-olds in Britain have tried vaping.
Observers who advocate for harm-reduction methods, however, were critical of the announcement.
“Most people wrongly believe that vaping is at least as dangerous as smoking,” said Christopher Snowdon, Head of Lifestyle Economics at the Institute of Economic Affairs. “This ignorance has led to vapers switching back to cigarettes and to smokers not switching to vapes. The government should be hammering home the message that vaping is a much safer alternative. Instead, it is sending the message that vapes are as bad as cigarettes by treating the two products the same. The forthcoming vape tax combined with a display ban and plain packaging will keep people smoking.”
“A one-size-fits-all approach that treats reduced-risk, smoke-free products in the same way as cigarettes risks making it harder for adult smokers to identify and switch to better alternatives,” said Dr. Marina Murphy, Head of External Affairs UK and Scientific Affairs at Haypp Group. “The most effective way to prevent youth access is through robust age-verification, enforcement of existing laws, and action against illicit sales. Packaging should support informed adult choice without undermining these measures or reducing the ability of smokers to identify less harmful alternatives.”
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Indonesia Health Pushing for Plain Packaging
Indonesia’s Health Ministry is drafting a new regulation that would require plain packaging for tobacco products and electronic cigarettes in an effort to reduce their appeal to young people and curb smoking rates, The Jakarta Post reported. The proposed rule would standardize pack colors and design while retaining brand names and mandatory pictorial health warnings, and is intended to prevent cigarette packaging from serving as a marketing tool.
Health officials say the measure is designed to shift consumer attention toward warning labels and align Indonesia with countries such as Australia, Canada, and Singapore, which have implemented similar policies. The proposal has been welcomed by public health advocates as a tobacco control measure, while drawing criticism from business and consumer groups who argue it could affect branding and market competition.
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French Group Urges Stricter Vape Controls, Plain Packaging
French advocacy group Contre-Feu called for tighter regulation of e-cigarettes, accusing manufacturers of targeting young people through flavored products, packaging, and marketing. The group is pushing for measures including plain packaging, stricter rules on flavor naming, and a ban on online sales, citing survey data showing more than half of 13–16 year-olds are drawn to vaping by sweet or fruity flavors. The intervention comes as smoking rates decline in France, but vaping grows, with the market generating around €1.6 billion annually, highlighting concerns that nicotine companies are shifting focus to sustain demand among younger consumers.
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Canadian Study Says Graphic Labels Growing
The Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) released its latest Cigarette Package Health Warnings: International Status Report, highlighting global efforts on plain packaging and graphic picture warnings. The report ranks 212 countries and territories on warning size and notes that 140 now require graphic picture warnings, covering 66% of the world’s population. Canada and Australia have gone further, mandating health warnings printed directly on individual cigarettes, first introduced in 2024 and 2025 respectively.
Plain packaging has been adopted in 27 countries and territories, up from just nine in 2018. CCS policy analyst Rob Cunningham said plain packaging is vital to reduce tobacco’s allure, particularly among youth.
Graphic picture warnings also continue to expand. Since Canada first introduced them in 2001, 130 countries now require warnings covering at least 50% of the pack, with 77 mandating coverage of 65% or more and 11 requiring at least 85%. East Timor, Turkey, The Gambia, Maldives, Nepal, and Vanuatu lead the way with at least 90% graphic warning coverage, while the United States ties for last, ranked 175th.
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Belgium Extends Plain Packaging to All Tobacco Products from 2026
Belgium will require cigars, cigarillos, cigarette papers, filters, tubes, and all other “herbal products intended for smoking” to adopt standardized green-brown packaging with uniform fonts and health warnings, Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke announced. Effective June 1, 2026, the measure expands existing plain packaging rules for cigarettes and rolling tobacco, in place since 2020, to close loopholes that allow tobacco companies to market via other products. “Small retailers” would receive a one-year exception until June 2027.
Vandenbroucke said the move aims to curb youth appeal and counter industry tactics, such as packaging cigarillos to resemble old cigarette packs. The government is also considering a ban on smoking on terraces from January 2026.
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Cigarette Plain Packaging Among Tobacco Law Changes Macau Considering
The Macau government plans to amend its tobacco control law, with Health Bureau director Alvis Lo Iek Long saying that standardized “plain packaging” for cigarettes will be a key measure to reduce tobacco’s appeal to young people.
In an interview with public broadcaster TDM, Lo confirmed authorities are speeding up preliminary work on such a measure but noted no timeline has been set due to the legislative process.
The proposed revisions also include expanding outdoor smoking bans to areas near schools and daycare centers, mirroring existing bus stop restrictions. Authorities also plan to trial “designated smoking areas” based on international models, aiming to balance the rights of smokers and non-smokers. Additionally, the amendment seeks to prohibit the import and sale of novel tobacco products, such as Middle Eastern shisha and herbal cigarettes.
The current law allows different management entities to designate no-smoking zones, however, Lo said officials are working on pilot programs to define “smoking points” and establish clear signage systems, though specific trial locations have yet to be finalized.
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Industry Groups Push Back on Plain Packaging
Photo: Taco Tuinstra More than 20 industry organizations signed a joint statement against Indonesia’s plans to require plain packaging for tobacco and vaping products, reports The Jakarta Post. The signatories included groups representing manufacturers, tobacco and clove farmers, labor unions, traders/retailers, creative industries, broadcasters and advertisers.
Franky Sibarani, vice chairman of the Indonesian employers’ association Apindo, noted that, given the significance of the tobacco business in Indonesia, the regulatory pressures were likely be felt in other sectors as well. The tobacco industry, he pointed out, supports millions of jobs, including farmers, workers, traders and retailers, along with professionals working in the creative industry.
“Policymakers should be cautious in issuing regulations that could threaten prolonged contractions,” said Sibarani.
Henry Najoan, chairman of the Indonesian kretek cigarette manufacturers association Gappri, emphasized that the tobacco industry is not just a business but a significant economic and cultural chain.
“The proposal for plain packaging […] will have serious impacts, as it exacerbates already excessive policies and could lead to a contraction in state revenue and employment,” he said. “Therefore, we firmly reject this regulation.”
Benny Wachjudi, chairman of the Indonesian white cigarette producers association Gaprindo, highlighted the tobacco industry’s contributions to the national economy. The industry, he said, accounts for up to 10 percent, or more than IDR200 trillion ($12.99 billion), of Indonesia’s annual excise duty collections. Plain packaging, Wachjudi warned, would boost the illicit cigarette trade.
Kusnasi Mudi, secretary-general of the National Tobacco Farmers Association, noted that tobacco cultivation alone supports 2.5 million livelihoods in Indonesia. “Tobacco is one of the national strategic commodities, but our existence is continually suppressed,” he said. “We request government protection for the 2.5 million farmers who are also struggling for their livelihoods and facing various other issues.”
Tutum Rahanta, chairman of the advisory council of the Indonesian Retailers and Shopping Center Tenants Association, said that the plain packaging proposals are impractical for all parties involved. “This regulation seriously undermines the tobacco industry at a time when the sector, from upstream to downstream, has adhered to previous regulations,” he said. “The government should focus on combating illegal cigarettes rather than interfering with legal cigarettes that comply with the law.”
Fabianus Bernadi, chairman of the Indonesian outdoor media association AMLI, said the proposed legislation would significantly impact his members’ economic viability. A recent survey suggested that in some regions, the organization’s companies derived up to 79 percent of their business from tobacco products.