Environmentally Friendly Cigarette Filters And Packaging Are On The Rise
Today, consumers and regulators around the world want products to be greener, including tobacco products. Many tobacco companies around the world are working hard to reduce the adverse impact of business operations on the environment. For example, some companies have proposed the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2050.
Globally, most cigarette filters are made of cellulose acetate tow, and films used for cigarette packaging are mainly made of polypropylene and the like. Some companies are trying to make their products more environmentally friendly by focusing on both cigarette filters and packaging.
Develop and promote greener filter solutions
Filter material manufacturer Filtrona is developing and promoting greener filter solutions. "We work closely with tobacco manufacturers and suppliers of basic materials," said Robert Pye, CEO of Filtrona. "As part of our collaboration, our job is to design filters that detect the chemical components of smoke in our products."
Filtrona said it has seen a significant increase in customer interest in its sustainable filtration products, such as its ECO series of rapidly biodegradable filters. The European Union has banned the sale of items containing single-use plastics and launched an extended producer responsibility program requiring tobacco manufacturers to assume more social responsibilities and pay for the cleanup of filter waste. The use of traditional filters may be banned in the EU in the future.
In order to provide support for the ECO series of filter products, Filtrona has established a center of excellence in Budapest, Hungary. The center will increase Filtrona's production capacity and speed up the time to market of its rapidly biodegradable filters. The center combines Filtrona's extensive experience in filter manufacturing with advanced high-speed production technology and the latest testing methods to provide rapidly degradable filters for cigarettes, heated cigarettes and other tobacco products.
“The Center of Excellence in Budapest can help tobacco companies develop and manufacture a sustainable portfolio of tobacco products,” Pye said. “We can produce a wide range of specialty filter media. We have invested millions of dollars in this Center of Excellence. , purchased advanced machinery and equipment and will continue to invest in it in the future.”
Schweitzer-Modi International Group launched Evolute fiber filter material in June 2022, which is an alternative to acetate fiber filter rods. Evolute can be used in all tobacco products that require filter materials, including cigarettes and cigarillos. “Our products show very good performance,” said Alice Joso, product manager for Schweitzer-Modi International Group. The company already has natural fiber filter solutions on the market and is developing next-generation filters. solution.
"We have been working closely with tobacco companies and are committed to building the entire value chain. We provide customers with raw materials, design ideal filters, ensure the efficient operation of filter production equipment, and provide complete solutions for their transformation." Ruosuo said .
Tight supply of cellulose acetate tow spurs market demand for new products
The tight supply and rising prices of acetate fiber tow have further created market demand for new filters. Changes in the market for acetate tow have resulted in Greenbutts, a manufacturer of rapidly biodegradable filters, being inundated with inquiries from all corners of the globe. "We are responding quickly to each customer's needs," said Luis Sanchez, Green Butts' chief strategy officer.
Green Cigarette Butt Company has developed a filter material made from food-grade natural fibers. Sanchez said that they cooperated with Swiss high-precision imprinting company Boegli Gravures to launch Greenbossing technology, resulting in a new generation of product solutions that enhance the filtration effect of the filter.
Green Cigarette Butt Company is working closely with equipment manufacturers to ensure the quality of their products and to promote the transition from acetate filters to rapidly biodegradable filters. "As part of Green Butt's innovation strategy, it is necessary to ensure that the new technology is sufficiently adaptable to be successfully produced on existing and next-generation equipment," Sanchez said.
Green Cigarette Butt Company cooperates with Italian tobacco equipment manufacturer Montrade Company and introduces equipment with multiple filter manufacturing capabilities from Montrade Company. Sanchez said: "The newly introduced equipment can help us produce more specifications of products and further enrich our product portfolio."
Paper filters may be popular in the future
According to Antonella Giannini, Sales Director of Montrade, the company has developed several solutions for manufacturing paper filters, including a filter rod forming machine that can save 15% to 20% compared with traditional equipment. % of paper. “We build machines that produce consistent quality paper filters,” Giannini said.
Giannini believes that current market demand is moving in the direction of sustainable development. "Sustainable development is a trend demand, and we expect this trend to further accelerate this year." He said, "I think there will be a 'tsunami' of paper filters in the tobacco field, and we are already ready. Get ready to face it. We have arranged many production lines to meet the order demand for new filter manufacturing equipment. We not only provide complete machine equipment, but also related equipment modules that can be easily and quickly connected to existing filters. Rod production equipment, such as KDF filter rod forming machine. We provide filter rod production equipment upgrade services to meet customers’ production needs for new filters.”
Pai has full confidence in their technical team. "We have accumulated rich experience through cooperation with different customers and strive to apply our experience in acetate production to new filter solutions," he said.
Although many new products and manufacturing equipment are already available, widespread adoption of more environmentally friendly filters for tobacco products will take time. Companies must establish and improve supply chains to increase and stabilize production capacity. Even in developed markets like Western Europe, this is quite challenging, Pye said. Sanchez believes that the key factors are consumer acceptance and business production costs, with consumer acceptance being the priority option.
Market demand for environmentally friendly filters grows
Ruoso said that once all EU member states incorporate extended producer responsibility plans into national regulations, tobacco companies' demand for environmentally friendly filter solutions will further increase. Through her research, she found that demand for environmentally friendly products is also growing in markets outside Europe, such as Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Pye believes that regulatory requirements are the most important factor affecting filter development. The Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control will discuss the problems posed by single-use plastics. "It is likely that many countries around the world will implement measures to promote greening," Sanchez said.
While aware of the importance of regulatory requirements, Ruoso analyzed other influencing factors. She said: "We clearly see the tobacco industry's growing interest in driving sustainability. This is a significant change and it will take time for this transformation to actually happen. This is a long-term process and now this Change has already begun."
Pye believes that the need for environmentally friendly filters in heated cigarette products has not yet become obvious, but it is only a matter of time. Heated cigarette products are an important business area for Filtrona, which offers a range of sustainable products for heated cigarettes. The company has conducted sample testing with a large manufacturer of heated cigarette products and has also invested in a testing facility in Indonesia to increase its ability to detect heated cigarettes.
Ruosuo emphasized that Schweitzer-Modi International Group's Evolute series filters are suitable for various tobacco products including heated cigarette products. “We are experimenting in this area,” she said. “It does not necessarily take too long to adopt environmentally friendly filter solutions for heated cigarette products. Both heated cigarettes and cigarette consumers need sustainable solutions. We hope that our products can Support all tobacco products, not just cigarettes.”
Green butt companies are also working on heated cigarette products. "Based on the latest evaluation, our product could be an alternative to acetate tow in heated cigarette products," Sanchez said.
Make cigarette packaging more green and environmentally friendly
Like filters, cigarette packaging also has great potential in the field of green environmental protection. Filtrona currently has a paper-based tape called Rippatape Halo, and they are applying for a patent for the technology used in this tape. Pai said: "The performance of Rippatape Halo paper-based tape is very close to that of ordinary tape, and it is more environmentally friendly. After the product was launched, it aroused the interest of some users."
Innovia is a global supplier of special biaxially oriented polypropylene films and also provides green and environmentally friendly packaging solutions. In 2018, the company launched its Encore line of recyclable films. The range includes a film that uses bio-based materials to reduce plastic packaging use and carbon footprint, and a film that uses chemically recycled polymers to support the circular economy.
Encore film is certified by the global sustainability certification system ISCC PLUS. Inno claims the film has the same properties as polypropylene film, including clarity, gloss, hardness and printability.
In order to reduce carbon emissions, conserve resources, and promote the development of a circular economy, Inno has been using life cycle analysis methods to evaluate product benefits.
One of the functions of packaging is to provide a barrier that prevents the packaged items from coming into contact with unwanted items. In addition to the need to keep out air and odors, like most food packaging, tobacco product packaging also needs to be moisture-proof, and materials must meet regulatory requirements. Inno said that depending on the formulation and coating, the Encore range of products provides good moisture resistance. In addition, these films require very little energy to produce and they can be recycled without degradation.
Alicia Klein, product manager of Inno, said: “Some waste, such as used cooking oil, can become raw materials for the production of new packaging materials.” The company’s products follow the relevant requirements of ISCC PLUS and are chemically recycled Processing method, recycling materials for reuse. Films used in tobacco packaging can be made from raw materials that are mainly recycled materials. "Higher levels of recycling capacity mean less waste is thrown away and more valuable resources are retained," said Klein. "There is a huge demand for recyclates in new packaging materials, and this demand is increasing as regulations are introduced It will increase.”
