Tag: Switzerland

Taat Preparing to Launch in Switzerland
Taat Global Alternatives is preparing to introduce its tobacco-free cigarettes in Switzerland
In a press note, the company announced that it is working with a tobacco distributor with a presence in Zurich and Zug to coordinate a near-term launch of Taat Original, Smooth and Menthol in Switzerland with a primary objective of capitalizing on recent changes to Switzerland’s market landscape causing tobacco brands to be prohibited from advertising in public places.
Although tobacco advertising has long been banned in most Western markets, Switzerland was among the last to allow tobacco product advertisements in public spaces (e.g., on billboards, in movie theaters and at events such as music festivals). On Feb. 13, 2022, voters in Switzerland overwhelmingly approved legislation forbidding tobacco companies from advertising in public spaces.
Taat Global Alternatives has been exploring several launch opportunities throughout Europe, particularly after finalizing the advanced formulation of its Beyond Tobacco product using reconstituted material.
Taat says its advanced Beyond Tobacco formulation yielded excellent feedback from tobacco wholesalers in markets to include Germany, Poland, France and Switzerland. Pending final regulatory approval of the Taat product by Swiss authorities, the company expects Switzerland to be the first new international market to be added for Taat in 2022 following the pending finalization of a distribution agreement and initial purchase order. Switzerland currently has a higher adult smoking rate than the European average at 27 percent, more than double the national rate of 12.5 percent in the United States.
Because Taat’s offerings contains no tobacco, the company expects to enjoy a comparatively high degree of freedom to market the products in Switzerland.
In the United States, Taat has advertised its brand as a better alternative to tobacco cigarettes through methods such as in-store displays at the point of sale as well as sports sponsorships (e.g., a stock car racing team, the entourage of world champion boxer Floyd Mayweather). The company intends to strategically place German-language advertisements as part of its launch plan in Switzerland, with French-language variations for markets in western Switzerland such as Geneva, the country’s second-ranking city by population.
“As the tobacco industry continues to evolve, it is a major part of our playbook to jump on opportunities to do things that tobacco companies cannot do as a way for Taat to gain a competitive advantage. Switzerland was already a target market for a future Taat launch due to its relatively high adult smoking rate of 27 percent and its optimal location in the center of Europe, sharing a border with five other nations.
“However, with Switzerland set to put an end to tobacco advertising based on a vote for new legislation last quarter, we recognized this impending change for the timely opportunity that I believe it to be. We are working closely with a Swiss tobacco distributor who is now in the final stages of obtaining government approval for Taat to be sold in Switzerland, and I am excited for the next steps as we continue to build out our tobacco industry footprint.”
May 9, 2022
Swiss Support Tighter Limits on Tobacco Ads

Photo: twinsterphoto
A majority of Swiss voters want to limit tobacco advertising seen by minors, reports SWI.
During a ballot on Feb. 13, 56.6 percent of voters and most of the country’s 26 cantons backed a proposal to ban all tobacco and e-cigarette advertising that may reach young people in Switzerland. About 5.3 million people took part in the vote.
Gregoire Vittoz, director of Addiction Switzerland, described the outcome as a “big step forward.”
“The people have understood that health is more important than economic interests,” said Stefanie de Borba of the League Against Cancer.
Home to some of the world’s largest tobacco companies, including Philip Morris International and Japan Tobacco International, Switzerland currently has some of the weakest laws against tobacco advertising in Europe.
While cigarette ads in general on television and radio are prohibited at the federal level, each region has different rules for tobacco promotions in cinemas and public places, such as festivals or public transport. Only a few cantons ban cigarette ads in the written press or on the internet.
Around one in four people in Switzerland smokes—a share that has remained stable over the past decade. The figure is slightly higher among 15-year-olds to 24-year-olds. Research shows that most adult smokers began when they were minors.
Critics of the people’s initiative, which included the Swiss government, argued unsuccessfully that the proposal represented an intrusion on economic freedoms and would be hard to implement in the digital age. They submitted a counterproposal that would have still allowed tobacco advertising at points of sale.
Federal authorities must now adjust Switzerland’s Tobacco Product Law to incorporate the proposal. A law must be drafted and put forward for consultation and discussion in Parliament. Once adopted, the law must be subjected to a facultative referendum. Health Minister Alain Berset said the new rules are unlikely to take force in 2022.
February 14, 2022
Iluma Prime Debuts in Switzerland Duty Free

Photo: Taco Tuinstra
Philip Morris International has launched the new IQOS Iluma Prime in Switzerland duty free, according to DFNI Frontier.
The announcement follows the market launch of IQOS Iluma in Japan in 2021.
The IQOS Iluma Prime is PMI’s first tobacco-heating system to introduce induction-heating technology, which utilizes no blade and requires no cleaning.
“Our objective is a world without cigarettes, a world where cigarettes are replaced by smoke-free alternatives that are a better choice than continued smoking,” said PMI CEO Jacek Olczak. “We have launched several generations of our IQOS heated-tobacco system, expanding our portfolio to offer constantly improved, science-backed solutions that take advantage of advancements in technology and address pain points heard from consumers.
“This commitment to continuous innovation plays a significant role in our ambition to deliver a smoke-free future. The launch of IQOS Iluma, our most innovative device yet, gives adult smokers another better choice and represents an important leap forward in our efforts to accelerate the end of smoking.”
“IQOS Iluma is our most innovative offering to date and the new flagship in our portfolio of science-backed, smoke-free products. Its breakthrough induction-heating technology heats tobacco from within, without burning, so there’s no smoke, no ash and, like previous IQOS devices, it emits, on average, 95 percent lower levels of harmful chemicals compared with cigarettes,” said Michele Cattoni, vice president of heated-tobacco platforms at PMI.
“However, unlike our previous tobacco-heating systems, IQOS Iluma has no blade. That means no tobacco residue or cleaning—ever. With this, and other product features, we aim to address consumer pain points that may have hindered some adult smokers from beginning or maintaining their journey away from cigarettes in the past.”
January 6, 2022
Swiss to Vote on Advertising Restrictions

Photo: jivimages
On Feb. 13, Swiss voters will decide on a popular initiative that calls for greater restrictions on tobacco advertising, reports SWI.
The initiative aims to ban tobacco and e-cigarette advertising wherever children and adolescents might see it, for example in the press, on posters, on the internet or at events. Advertising directed only at adults or shown in places to which minors have no access would still be allowed.
For the Federal Council and Parliament, the initiative goes too far, however. They are opposing it with an indirect counter-proposal in the form of the new Tobacco Products Act. The new rules would ban advertising of tobacco products and electronic cigarettes on billboards and in cinemas. In addition, tobacco companies would no longer be permitted to give away free cigarettes or to sponsor international events in Switzerland under the counterproposal. Advertising at kiosks, in the press or on the internet would still be possible, except when aimed at minors, and the sponsorship of national events would still be permitted.
The new Tobacco Products Act can come into force regardless of the outcome of the vote on the popular initiative. But if the popular initiative is approved, federal authorities will be required to adapt the law to respond to the new requirements.
Switzerland has one of the weakest tobacco control regimes in Europe. The 2019 Tobacco Control Scale ranked Switzerland second from bottom overall and last in terms of restrictions on tobacco advertising. In addition, Switzerland is the only European country not to have ratified the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
At present, the advertising of tobacco products is permitted, subject to certain restrictions. Tobacco advertising on radio and television and advertising aimed specifically at minors is banned. Most cantons have brought in more far-reaching bans, prohibiting tobacco advertising on billboards and in cinemas, for example, or stopping tobacco companies from sponsoring events.
Critics attribute the country’s weak tobacco laws to the fact that Switzerland is home to leading cigarette manufacturers, such as Philip Morris International and Japan Tobacco International. About a quarter of the Swiss population smokes, including around 100,000 people aged 15 to 19.
January 5, 2022
Switzerland to Debate Vapor Tax Plan

Photo: Stockfotos-MG
Switzerland’s Federal Council has put forward a plan to tax e-liquids, reports Le News, citing Radio Television Suisse.
The proposal calls for taxing e-liquids at a rate that is 77 percent lower than that levied on combustible cigarettes.
The government wants to discourage young people from taking up vaping without discouraging smokers from transitioning to less unhealthy products.
One idea is to tax the nicotine content in e-cigarette liquids for open systems. This would mean taxes rising with rising nicotine content. For single use e-cigarettes or devices using cartridges, the tax would be levied based on the quantity of liquid contained in them regardless of the nicotine contained in them.
According to the government, such a tax would be easy to put in place and would generate around CHF 15.5 million a year, money which would be used to help fund old age pensions and disability benefits.
The Federal Council’s proposal, which will be discussed until March 31, 2022, responds to a motion approved by the parliament and the Council of States in March 2021.
December 24, 2021
Swiss Mull Tighter Marketing Restrictions

Photo: JTI
The Swiss parliament is debating tighter restrictions on the marketing of tobacco products following a people’s initiative calling for a tobacco ad ban, reports SwissInfo.
Switzerland’s tobacco laws are among the world’s most liberal. Despite recent implementation of stricter laws for the industry, such as compulsory smoking areas on train platforms, 27 percent of the country’s population over the age of 15 smokes, according to the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health.
Switzerland is among the few countries that haven’t ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, despite signing on to the treaty 17 years ago. Until now, advertising targeting young people remains unregulated.
In 2018, more than 100,000 people signed a people’s initiative to protect children and young people from tobacco advertising.
The government, however, has recommended its rejection of the initiative, saying it would amount to a complete advertising ban, which, it argues, goes too far.
In place of the initiative, the national government recommended a tightening of the current Tobacco Products Law. The Senate debated this bill in September 2019, and stricter rules on advertising were proposed, including regulating advertising for e-cigarettes. More than 45 percent of 16-year-olds consume this new form of tobacco on a weekly basis.
In the current spring session, a majority of the House of Representatives followed the recommendation of its Health Committee and rejected the initiative in favor of the bill submitted by the senate.
The parliamentary committee doesn’t, however, plan to mandate that the tobacco industry report figures for spending on advertising. It also won’t ban tobacco advertising in newspapers or on websites that aren’t exclusively aimed at minors.
Several parliamentarians view the proposed tobacco rules as an attack on companies’ commercial freedom and on an individual’s right to choose.
Switzerland is home to Philip Morris International and Japan Tobacco International.
March 23, 2021
PMI providing relief
Philip Morris International said today that it will provide the Swiss Red Cross with $400,000 to support the relief efforts in Mozambique following Cyclone Idai.
‘In the aftermath of one of the worst tropical cyclones on record to affect Africa, and the Southern Hemisphere as whole, two million people have been left affected, and thousands are in immediate need of emergency shelter, food, water, and medical assistance,’ PMI said in a note posted on its website.
‘Beyond this, the funds will also support people’s livelihoods in the months ahead, as needs will increase for those who have lost their crops and property.’
“We are deeply saddened by the impact of Cyclone Idai,” said Nicolas Denis, vice president leaf at PMI. “The devastation is massive, and the local communities are going through a very difficult time. Our thoughts are with everyone affected. We are working with the Swiss Red Cross to contribute to the relief efforts and support the country as it rebuilds.”
PMI said that it did not have any operations in Mozambique, but that it sourced a significant amount of tobacco from the country.
‘Tobacco is an important crop there, representing a significant contribution to the economy,’ it said. ‘According to our farm monitoring data, the livelihoods of some 600,000 people—farmers, their families and tobacco workers—are dependent directly on tobacco.’
March 29, 2019
Boys and girls will be …
Twenty-one percent of Swiss boys and thirteen percent of girls aged 11-15 have tried electronic cigarettes at least once, according to a story at swissinfo.ch reporting on a survey of addiction among schoolchildren.
The findings were said to have alarmed the group Addiction Switzerland, which carried out the study of 11,000 children between the ages of 11 and 15.
“Vaping should not become normal consumer behavior among young people,” said Grégoire Vittoz, director of Addiction Switzerland, in a statement.
Swiss law is currently being adapted in relation to vapor products, but Addiction Switzerland has called also for such products to be priced beyond the means of schoolchildren, and for advertising restrictions.
The organization said that nicotine was addictive and could damage brain development in young people.
Overall, marginally fewer 11-15-year-olds said they had tried addictive substances than was the case during the previous survey in 2014.
In 2018, 10 percent of boys and eight percent of girls said they had smoked conventional cigarettes at least once a week, while in 2014 the respective figures were 12 percent and nine percent.
About 11 percent of boys and four percent of girls said that they had drunk alcohol at least once a week (10 percent and six percent in 2014).
The survey found also that 27 percent of boys and 17 percent of girls had used illegal cannabis at least once in their lives (30 percent and 19 percent in 2014). The figures for trying CBD (cannabidiol) products were nine percent and five percent for boys and girls.
The 2018 survey was part of an international Health Behavior in School-aged Children external link (HBSC) study carried out under the auspices of the World Health Organization external link, and was financed in Switzerland by the Federal Office of Public Health external link and cantons. It was the ninth time the HSBC study has been conducted in Switzerland.
March 29, 2019
Impacting the illegal trade
Philip Morris International said yesterday that 31 projects had been selected for funding in the second round of PMI IMPACT, a global initiative supporting third party programs dedicated to fighting illegal trade and related crimes. The PMI IMPACT Expert Council was said to have selected the projects from more than 157 proposals.
PMI IMPACT has allocated $49 million for the implementation of more than 60 projects in 41 countries as part of its first and second funding rounds.
‘The successful applicants come from 23 countries in Europe, Eastern Europe, Middle East, Asia, North and South America, representing a broad range of sectors including think tanks, academic institutions, universities and law enforcement authorities,’ PMI said in a note posted on its website.
‘A total of $21 million has been allocated for the implementation of the selected projects.’
Paul Makin, a member of the Council, was quoted as saying that the selected projects stood out for their innovative thinking and systematic approach to addressing the complexities of illegal trade and its links to a broader range of criminal activities.
“We are looking forward to seeing these ideas come to fruition and thereby help advance the global efforts to strengthen security and prevent crime around the world.”
The selected projects are aimed at addressing multiple aspects of illegal trade – ranging from tobacco, alcohol and pharmaceutical products to the trafficking of rare animal species. Beyond illegal trade, the projects are set to tackle a broad network of related crimes such as drug trafficking, money laundering and modern-day slavery.
PMI announced the results of the second funding round during a meeting of the OECD [Organisation for Economic Co-operation] Task Force on Countering Illicit Trade.
“Fighting illicit trade is in PMI’s DNA and I am delighted that PMI IMPACT is enabling organizations around the world to really make a difference against illegal trade, not only in tobacco but across a wide range of sectors,” said Alvise Giustiniani, PMI’s vice president illicit trade prevention.
“It’s only through concerted efforts and broad public-private collaboration that we’ll be able to implement meaningful and long-term solutions against illegal trade.”
The projects, which are expected to be completed during the next two years, include:
- ‘Projects that seek to better understand the links and drivers around organized crime and illegal activities in high risk border areas and provide analysis and recommendations on how to tackle them;
- ‘Actions to use innovative digital tools and solutions to create databases and platforms to allow for the capture and identification of key trends in illegal trade;
- ‘Initiatives to raise awareness on the impact of illegal trade and develop dialogue between public and private sector actors in tackling the issue; and
- ‘Programs to tackle specific areas of concern and the links between different forms of illicit trade as part of global criminal networks.’
A list of the selected projects is available on the PMI IMPACT website at:
http://pmi-impact.com/updates/secondfundinground.
March 20, 2019
Of mice and smokers
Philip Morris International has said that the results of a new study add to the existing evidence that switching smokers to smoke-free products can be part of a successful tobacco-harm-reduction strategy for adult smokers worldwide.
The study was conducted on mice, which were exposed to air, cigarette smoke, or three formulations of e-cigarette vapors for three hours/day, five days/week for six months via a ‘whole-body inhalation system’ [a whole-body inhalation system, though not necessarily the one used in the study, is described here].
In a note posted on its website yesterday, PMI said that it had presented ‘today’ the results from a new study on electronic cigarettes at the 58th Annual Society of Toxicology Meeting in Baltimore.
‘The study demonstrates that after six months, e-cigarette vapors with and without nicotine induced a significantly lower biological responses associated with cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases than cigarette smoke,’ the note said.
‘The study, conducted in collaboration with Altria Group, Inc., assessed the biological response of mice exposed to e-cigarette vapors compared with that of exposure to cigarette smoke.
‘According to the World Health Organization, there are more than one billion people worldwide who smoke cigarettes and will continue to smoke in the foreseeable future. ‘Tobacco harm reduction can play an important role by supplementing existing tobacco control strategies to help reduce the risk of smoking-related diseases.
‘For harm reduction to be successful, current adult smokers need access to smoke-free products that deliver nicotine but with significantly lower levels of toxicants than cigarettes.’
Dr. Julia Hoeng, PMI’s director of systems toxicology was quoted as saying that the results of the study comprised “a powerful addition to the evidence showing that switching to e-cigarettes is a much better choice than continuing to smoke”.
“This study truly is a landmark study, not just demonstrating the reduced toxicity and disease risk between e-cigarettes and cigarettes but also evaluating the role of nicotine and flavors.”
March 15, 2019