The environmental impact of nicotine pouches and recovery initiative

What do nicotine pouches contain?

Modern nicotine pouches are made from nicotine salts extracted from the tobacco plant Nicotiana tabacum. However, the product does not contain any plant matter, making it completely tobacco-free.

In addition, these pouches are made from Plant-based food additives, such as hydroxypropyl cellulose, which are used to keep the pouches together.

Gum Arabic, maltitol, and microcrystalline cellulose - common ingredients in chewing gum - are used to add bulk.

pH regulators - sodium carbonate and bicarbonate, often used in baked goods, are added to help balance pH levels.

Food-grade flavoring agents enhance the flavor of orally-contained cigarettes.

Sugar substitutes, such as those found in beverages and confectionery, are used as flavor enhancers.

A unique blend of fillers, vegetable-sourced stabilizers, flavorings, and chewing gum bases give each dispensing pouch an optimum softness that sits comfortably and discreetly under the lips.

The environmental impact of cigarette butts

Worldwide, around 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are discarded each year and they are often found on roadsides, green spaces, pavements, beaches, and waterways. Here are the details on cigarette residues.

They plague the oceans. Cigarette butts are the number one man-made pollutant in the world's oceans. They are also the most litter collected during annual beach clean-ups. In addition, used cigarette butts are a threat to wildlife, such as sea turtles and birds, which may mistake the filters for food.

They are not readily biodegradable. The core of most cigarettes (the part that looks like white cotton) is made of cellulose acetate, a type of plastic that can take up to ten years to break down.

They are a major contributor to litter in the United States. Cigarettes account for more than a third of all collected litter.

They leach toxic chemicals into the air. Each year, globally, smoking emits about 2 billion kilograms of methane and 2.6 billion kilograms of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

The environmental impact of nicotine pouches

Tobacco growing and curing have environmental consequences, including loss of biodiversity, degradation, and soil erosion. However, nicotine pouches are smokeless, which means they do not cause air pollution when they are used.

nicotine pouches are also saliva-free and are easily discarded in the product's lid compartment. Users can discard each pouch responsibly, while cigarette butts are often thrown out of windows or smashed on the floor.

Nicotine pouches recycling initiative

Swedish Match and Viking Line are working together to encourage travelers to reduce their waste with a new campaign and the launch of new recycling bins for users of mouthwash and snus, including the recently launched ZYN brand in the travel retail sector.

Initially launched on Viking Line's Grace and Amorella ships, these bespoke bins are marked and equipped with dedicated recycling slots for used Swedish Match mouthwash and another for the boxes.

This ensures that no additional marine waste is generated by Swedish Match ZYN, oral or snuff products, and forms part of the brand's wider efforts to tackle waste and climate change around the world.

Swedish Match "believes in a world without cigarettes" and since 1999 has been committed to the belief that snus and smokeless alternatives can lead the market, with products that are significantly less harmful than cigarettes.

Its latest initiative with Viking Line is in line with the company's ambition to create a "better, cleaner, and more sustainable world".

Jimmie Kreuzahler, Sales Manager, Swedish Match said" At Swedish Match, our belief in sustainability and our efforts are as much a part of our company and business plan as our drive to create a world without cigarettes.

"Working with Viking Line shows that sustainability is not just a word for us, but an ideal, and we are constantly looking for new, innovative, and effective ways to further realize it. I would like to thank our friends and colleagues at Viking Line for all their hard work in helping to make this project a reality."

The "key" to reducing consumer waste

Last year, MSCI, the leading ESG rating index, again named Swedish Match a "leader" in the areas of corporate governance, product safety, quality, and supply chain labor standards.

Swedish Match has been a major contributor to the development of a new sustainable tobacco plan and has secured a 7% year-on-year reduction in CO2 emissions and 49% of energy use free of fossil fuels by 2020.

Swedish Match has set itself key targets to reduce its environmental impact, including a 41% reduction in greenhouse gas production by 2030 and a 75% reduction by 2050 compared to 2017.

Reducing consumer waste is also a key objective and it is here that a new partnership with Viking Line plays an important role.

Dani Lindberg, Sustainability Manager at Viking Line, said." Sustainability and tackling climate change is an important part of our business at Viking Line, as evidenced by the production of our new ship, Viking Pride, one of the most climate-smart passenger ships in the world.

"The partnership with Swedish Match is an excellent, simple, and innovative solution to reduce waste and cut plastic pollution in our oceans."