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Tag: Seatca

  • Tobacco Industry Interference List Released

    Tobacco Industry Interference List Released

    The Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index released the results of its bi-annual survey today (November 11), ranking governments based on how they respond “to tobacco industry interference and protect public health policies from commercial and vested interests as required under the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.”

    The report was initiated as a regional index by the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) in 2014. It ranks countries based on their response to a 20-question survey, covering seven indicators of industry interference, including: the industry’s participation in policy development; tobacco industry-related corporate social responsibility activities; benefits given to the tobacco industry; unnecessary interaction between government and industry; measures for transparency; preventing conflicts of interest; and measures that prevent industry influence.

    The top-10 countries based on the criteria were Brunei Darussalam, Palau, Botswana, Netherlands, Finland, Ethiopia, Iran, Burkina Faso, Maldives, and Uganda and Norway tied for 10th. The bottom 10 were Colombia, Malawi, Indonesia, Zambia, Romania, Japan, Georgia, the United States, Switzerland, and the Dominican Republic.

    One of the biggest fallers on the list was New Zealand, which dropped from No. 2 in 2023 to No. 53 in 2025. Tobacco Reporter will have more analysis and reactions from the list later this week.

    Find the full list here.

  • Seatca Urges UN to Ban Plastic Cigarette Filters

    Seatca Urges UN to Ban Plastic Cigarette Filters

    The Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (Seatca) is urging the United Nations to impose a global ban on plastic-based cigarette filters, as final negotiations for a global plastic pollution treaty take place in Geneva this week. Seatca warned that 460 billion cigarette butts are discarded annually in ASEAN countries alone, contributing to a global total of 4.5 trillion. “The filters, made of cellulose acetate, degrade slowly, releasing toxic microplastics, nicotine, and heavy metals into ecosystems,” the organization said.

    Calling cigarette filters “a health fraud and an environmental hazard,” Seatca demanded the treaty enforce the polluter-pays principle, reject industry lobbying, and require mandatory cleanup systems for tobacco waste. They also criticized so-called “eco-filters” and “green butts” as greenwashing tactics, insisting that no sustainable alternatives exist for cigarette filters and calling for a complete ban on all types.

    Seatca estimates that ASEAN countries currently spend $10 billion annually to clean up cigarette filter waste.