13 March 2023
Bangkok, 13 March – Stop Tobacco Pollution Alliance (STPA), a coalition of organizations behind the global movement to align plastics policies with tobacco control, launched a campaign to urge countries to ban cigarette filters and make tobacco polluters pay for the environmental damage they have caused over many decades.
To kick off the campaign, the Global Center for Good Governance in Tobacco Control (GGTC), a convenor of STPA, partnered with The New York Times on a post entitled ‘Uncovering the Truths Behind the Tobacco Industry’s Deception‘ to shed light on cigarette filters’ aggravating role in cancer and ocean pollution as well as the tobacco industry’s deceptive tactics to conceal the truth.
The post leads readers to tobaccoplastics.ggtc.world, which features environment country briefs on the cost of tobacco’s plastic pollution, produced by STOP, a tobacco industry watchdog. The campaign, aims to encourage the public to:
- Learn about and disseminate the cost of tobacco pollution in their country, and
- Add their voice to support STPA’s message to ban filters and make tobacco polluters pay.
The campaign is aimed at gathering support for STPA’s message for the next round of the UN Plastic Pollution Treaty negotiations (INC-2) from May 29 to June 02, 2023, in Paris, France.
According to Dr Mary Assunta, head of Global Research and Advocacy at GGTC, and author of the Global Tobacco Index, “The tobacco industry, unlike any other industry, is regulated by an international treaty. It cannot be part of policy making; its ‘corporate socially responsibility activities’ are simply a type of advertising, and it has deceived the world into thinking cigarette filters are beneficial when in fact they are linked to aggravation of cancers and severe marine pollution.”
Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) Executive Director Dr Ulysses Dorotheo noted, “The tobacco industry does not only kill eight million people around the world yearly, it also causes immeasurable harm to our environment. All citizens and political leaders in every country must support this crucial call to action.”
The STPA calls on governments to align plastic policies with tobacco control. To learn about the damage caused by tobacco companies in your country and ‘how should tobacco companies pay for their pollution in your country‘, visit tobaccoplastics.ggtc.world.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Laura Salgado
Global Campaign Coordinator
Email address: laura@ggtc.world
Contact number: +14358810802
For more information on tobacco pollution and the Stop Tobacco Pollution Alliance, please contact ggtc@ggtc.world.
Val Bugnot
Media and Communications Manager, SEATCA
Email: val@seatca.org
Mobile: +639173124600
About SEATCA
SEATCA is a multi-sectoral non-governmental alliance promoting health and saving lives by assisting ASEAN countries to accelerate and effectively implement the tobacco control measures contained in the WHO FCTC. Acknowledged by governments, academic institutions, and civil society for its advancement of tobacco control in Southeast Asia, the WHO bestowed on SEATCA the World No Tobacco Day Award in 2004 and the WHO Director-General’s Special Recognition Award in 2014.
About STPA
STPA is a global movement that aims to align global plastics policies with tobacco control and ban single-use tobacco product plastics, especially cigarette filters. Among other members, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), African Tobacco Control Alliance, Asian Consultancy on Tobacco Control, Corporate Accountability, the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, and Vital Strategies represented STPA at INC-1. STPA is co-convened by ASH and GGTC.
Global Center for Good Governance in Tobacco Control (GGTC)
GGTC is a think tank and global resource hub that aims to address the single greatest obstacle to tobacco control, tobacco industry interference. GGTC authored the Tobacco Toxic Plastics Global Outlook and hosts the tobaccoplastics page that features the environment country brief of STOP, a tobacco industry watchdog.
