January 2024
Tobacco Product Litter & Post-Consumption Marketing
The widespread problem of tobacco product litter has been well-established as an environmental threat. But branded tobacco product litter could also inadvertently benefit the tobacco industry (and prolong the tobacco epidemic) by functioning as post-consumption marketing—providing additional, free exposure via visible tobacco brand names or logos that require policy interventions to prevent.
The Institute for Global Tobacco Control conducted an observational study in India (where an estimated 170,000 metric tonnes of tobacco product waste are generated each year) to assess the presence of tobacco product litter in nine cities and determine the proportion that included branding. The findings offer additional evidence to support the implementation of plain and standardized packaging and the elimination of cigarette plastic filters.
Publications:
Grilo G, Kaplan B, Cohen JE, Bhattacharya P, Mukherjee N, Welding K, Kennedy RD. Tobacco product litter as a form of post-consumption marketing: an observational study in India. Tobacco Control. Published Online First: 12 January 2024. doi: 10.1136/tc-2023-058407.
Video:
Related Content:
- Toxic Threat & Tobacco Control Opportunity (Global Health NOW) A unique new study of cigarette butt pollution in Brazil explains how—in addition the severe pollution caused by littered cigarette butts—visible brand names or logos offer clues for estimating the illicit trade market, and a path towards holding companies financially accountable for environmental impact/cleanup.
- Innovations in Tobacco Control Lecture Series: Earth Day 2024: Professor Ryan David Kennedy, PhD, discussed the tobacco epidemic through an environmental lens, including findings from recent studies of tobacco product litter conducted in Brazil and India.
- Informing Global Treaty Enhancements: Learn how an IGTC-supported study of the environmental impact of cigarette butt litter in Brazil provided evidence for a key decision at COP10.
- Plain and Standardized Packaging: This previously published report and one-pager contain recommendations and steps that can be taken to advance plain and standardized packaging in countries around the world.
Press Clippings:
- Why cigarettes are so bad for the environment (Public Health on Call podcast episode #746)
- Environmental Health: No Ifs, Ands, or Butts (JHU Hub)
- Reading between tobacco litter lines (Bangalore Mirror)
- Brazil leads discussion on the environment at COP10, a conference focused on tobacco control (R7)
Social Assets:
The following captions may be used to disseminate this study via social media:
- FACEBOOK, LINKEDIN, INSTAGRAM, TIKTOK
- English: Could problematic tobacco product litter also fuel consumer demand? 🚮 An IGTC study assessed the presence of branded tobacco product litter in nine urban cities in India, where an estimated 170,000 metric tonnes of tobacco product waste are generated each year. Researchers determined the proportion of visible branding (such as brand names and/or logos) on tobacco product litter, discussed the implications of litter as post-consumption marketing, and outlined policy interventions that can limit its impact. See the video and access the findings at globaltobaccocontrol.org/litter
- Hindi: क्या तंबाकू उत्पादों का समस्यात्मक कूड़ा उपभोक्ताओं की मांग को भी बढ़ा सकता है? 🚮 इंस्टीट्यूट फॉर ग्लोबल टोबैको कंट्रोल ने भारत में, जहाँ हर वर्ष ब्रांडेड तंबाकू उत्पादों का 170,000 मीट्रिक टन कचरा उत्पन्न होता है, के नौ शहरों में तंबाकू उत्पादों के कूड़े की मौजूदगी का आकलन किया। शोधकर्ताओं ने तंबाकू उत्पादों के कूड़े पर दिखाई देने वाली ब्रांडिंग (जैसे कि ब्रांडों के नाम और/या लोगो) के अनुपात का निर्धारण किया, उपभोग-उपरांत मार्केटिंग के रूप में कूड़े के निहितार्थों पर चर्चा की, और नीति में ऐसे हस्तक्षेपों की रूपरेखा तैयार की जो इसके प्रभाव को सीमित कर सकते हैं। वीडियो और निष्कर्षों को globaltobaccocontrol.org/litter पर देखें।
- English: Could problematic tobacco product litter also fuel consumer demand? 🚮 An IGTC study assessed the presence of branded tobacco product litter in nine urban cities in India, where an estimated 170,000 metric tonnes of tobacco product waste are generated each year. Researchers determined the proportion of visible branding (such as brand names and/or logos) on tobacco product litter, discussed the implications of litter as post-consumption marketing, and outlined policy interventions that can limit its impact. See the video and access the findings at globaltobaccocontrol.org/litter
- TWITTER/X:
- English: Could problematic tobacco product litter also help fuel consumer demand? 🚮 An IGTC study assessed the presence of branded tobacco product litter in urban environments and its implication as a form of post-consumption marketing. globaltobaccocontrol.org/litter
- Hindi: क्या समस्यात्मक तंबाकू उत्पाद कूड़ा उपभोक्ता-मांग को बढ़ाने में मदद कर सकता है? 🚮 IGTC के अध्ययन ने शहरी वातावरण में ब्रांडेड-तंबाकू उत्पाद कूड़े की मौजूदगी और उपभोग-उपरांत मार्केटिंग के रूप में उसके निहितार्थ का आकलन किया। globaltobaccocontrol.org/litter
- English: Could problematic tobacco product litter also help fuel consumer demand? 🚮 An IGTC study assessed the presence of branded tobacco product litter in urban environments and its implication as a form of post-consumption marketing. globaltobaccocontrol.org/litter
