On 29 May 2022 the World Health Organisation (WHO) published a document entitled Tobacco: Poisoning Our Planet looking at the environmental damage caused by the tobacco industry. The report looks at the damage done to the environment throughout the tobacco product life cycle, including the health of farmers, the use of agrochemicals, water depletion, deforestation and carbon emissions. The report also looks at direct health issues resulting from smoke exposure, pollution from packaging and transportation, toxic waste and air pollution.

The report notes that the tobacco industry uses tactics to promote an image of a sustainable, environmentally friendly industry (known as greenwashing), marketing products in a way that makes them appear less harmful. The report also explains the concept of extended producer responsibility and notes that the cost of clearing up the waste products from tobacco consumption fall on governments and local authorities. The report considers that the cost should be borne by the tobacco industry, and notes that France has introduced legislation on the principle that the producer pays for the negative externalities.

Examples of tax measures

The WHO report gives examples of some environmental tax measures applying to tobacco. The European Union has proposed a levy on carbon-intensive products based on the amount of carbon emissions resulting from specific items such as a tobacco products.

The report notes that some countries and cities have imposed environmental tax levies on tobacco products. In 2010 San Francisco introduced a charge to cover the cost of cleaning up cigarette waste, such as cigarette butts and plastic packaging, and to pay for providing public information. The amount of the charge has risen to 75 cents per pack.

Some African countries have also introduced similar environmental tax measures. Gambia has imposed an environmental tax that is currently the equivalent of 4.2% of the retail price. Chad’s environmental protection tax is equivalent to 2% of the retail price; and Benin applies an eco tax of 5% on the cost, insurance and freight price, which is the equivalent of around 0.4% of the retail price.

Call for action by the public

The WHO report calls on the public to protect the ecosystem by campaigning for an environment that is free of tobacco product waste. Tobacco users should be educated on the negative environmental impacts of tobacco. The public should support action for a ban on single-use plastics within the tobacco industry such as cigarette filters, smokeless tobacco pouches and disposable electronic nicotine delivery systems. The public should also be aware of greenwashing by the tobacco industry which often markets itself as environmentally friendly. The public also need to back the introduction of additional taxes on the tobacco industry to protect the environment.

Call for action by policymakers

The report recommends that policymakers should apply the principle of extended producer responsibility to the tobacco industry, making it responsible for bearing the cost of cleaning up waste from tobacco products. Environmental tax levies should be imposed on tobacco manufacturers, distributors and the consumer, throughout the tobacco supply chain, for carbon emissions, air pollution and costs related to the environment.

Policymakers should consider banning cigarette filters to protect health and the environment, and tobacco control measures should be implemented to lessen the impact of the tobacco industry on the environment. Public education should make people aware of the action required to reduce tobacco use and lower the harm to the environment.

Governments should raise awareness about harm to the environment and actions that need to be prioritized to reduce tobacco use in society, including in school curriculums and training programmes for the health and environment workforce. They could also encourage tobacco farmers to change to other crops to reduce the environmental impact of tobacco growing and manufacturing.

COP 27

The report recommends that policymakers should be advising governments on how to approach the UN’s COP 27 climate change meeting in Egypt in November 2022. Governments should be considering how to work together to take forward the tobacco control agenda to protect the environment.