19 December 2025
2025 has been a mixed bag of outcomes for tobacco control. The ASEAN region had some strong measures being implemented in a few countries, while others succumbed to interference from Big Tobacco (PMI, BAT, JTI and Imperial Brands) as it undermined government efforts and continued its ugly practices to promote its lethal products.
This year’s WHO’s World No Tobacco Day theme, “Unmasking the Appeal: Exposing Industry Tactics on Tobacco and Nicotine Products”, kept the focus on new tobacco products and exposed industry tactics in hooking youth and the need to protect our young. About 37 million youths around the world use tobacco – this means the tobacco industry makes money from these young people. WHO also supported a ban on cigarette filters as avoidable problematic plastics in the ongoing negotiations of UNEP’s Tobacco Plastic Pollution treaty.
Electronic smoking devices (ESD) continued to be a hot issue with harm reduction front groups linked to the industry promoting its voice and agenda. In Asia, CAPHRA (Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates) became more noisy in representing the industry’s narrative in promoting harm reduction and countering countries that took decisive action to ban new tobacco products, such Singapore and Maldives. This prompted the Singapore Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs to refer to CAPHRA as “peddlers of snake oil” and the “mouthpiece the tobacco industry”.
The eleventh session of the Conference of the Parties to the WHO FCTC (COP11) in Geneva in November saw 1,400 delegates gathered to strengthen tobacco control. The tobacco industry stepped up its noise and activities to counter the COP process, WHO and the tobacco control community.
Here is a snapshot of what was bad and ugly (thumbs down), and good (thumbs up) for the year 2025.
2025 in Review
| International/Regional | ||
1. Big Tobacco still relies on cigarette sales for profits while simultaneously mouthing smoking is harmful | About 5 trillion cigarettes are smoked every year globally. While major tobacco companies acknowledge smoking is harmful and make statements about shifting away from cigarettes, every company continues to aggressively market cigarettes. In 2024, PMI sold 8.7% more cigarettes globally: 635 billion cigarettes compared to 633 billion sticks in 2023. |  |
2. The tobacco industry harms the environment with its products | Cigarette butts remain the top-littered item in international clean-ups. 4.5 trillion cigarette butts were discarded into the environment in 2024. Cigarette filters are problematic single-use plastics (SUPs). Cartons and packaging from tobacco products leave behind additional 2 million tons of solid waste annually. | |
3. ‘Unprecedented Levels of Industry Interference’ stalled decisions on new tobacco products and pollution at FCTC COP11 | COP11 session in Geneva saw unprecedented levels of industry interference. According to a Health Policy Watch report, political stand offs among delegations and industry interference hindered major breakthroughs on outlawing plastic cigarette filters and stronger regulation of marketing and cross-border trade in e-cigarettes, flavored tobacco and other new products. | |
| 4. Industry front group, Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction, continues to promote industry position | Harm reduction front group, Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA), continued to repeat Philip Morris International’s “Quit or Die doesn’t work” mantra and called on governments across the Asia Pacific to allow the sale of oral nicotine products. CAPHRA is so lost in its pro-industry spin that it has questioned New Zealand government’s “membership” to the WHO FCTC. The WHO FCTC is a UN treaty a government ratifies, and not a membership “organization” a country belongs to. | |
| 5. While the tobacco industry has intensified its interference in health policy, many governments have not utilized the powerful tool available to curb industry interference – FCTC Article 5.3 | The Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index 2025, a civil society report card on governments’ implementation of Article 5.3 found many governments were lacking in protecting public health. The Index covering 100 countries has exposed how the tobacco industry targeted and persuaded willing senior officials, especially from the non-health sectors, to protect its business and lobby on its behalf. | |
| National | ||
1. A California-based e-cigarette and cannabis vape company, Ispire Technology Inc., was given license to manufacture nicotine products in Johor, Malaysia | Although the state of Johor has banned e-cigarettes, the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (Mida) issued the country’s first nicotine manufacturing license to a California-based e-cigarette and cannabis company to operate in Johor. The plant has a total manufacturing capacity of 61 million devices or 107 million pods per month. | |
2. Indonesia will not increase tobacco tax for 2026 budget despite 70 million smokers | Although tax increase is most effective way to reduce smoking, in Indonesia where 2 out of 3 men smoke, the Ministry of Finance decided to keep its excise tax rates on tobacco products unchanged for 2026, after considering the impact such taxes have on employment in the tobacco industry. | |
3. Tobacco industry in Lao PDR and Myanmarfurther delayed compliance with standardize packaging law | Despite both Lao PDR and Myanmar providing more time to the tobacco industry to comply with standardized packaging, the industry in both countries have not fully complied, frustrating government effort to protect public health. | |
4. The Philippines Secretaries of Social Welfare and Health attended the acceptance ceremony of mobile lab donation from the tobacco industry at the Palace The Philippines delegation at COP11 promoted protection of tobacco farmers despite FCTC Article 17 which requires Parties to assist farmers to shift to alternate livelihood | The official handing over of PMFTC’s donation of mobile labs took place at the Palace and was attended by both the Secretaries of Department of Social Welfare, and Health. The Philippine delegation at COP11 highlighted the need for “socially and economically responsible” transitions that protect communities dependent on tobacco cultivation. | |
| 5. Malaysian pro-industry groups oppose Health Minister’s statement that the government will impose a full ban on the sale of e-cigarettes. | A chorus of protests from vaping and pro-industry groups followed the Health Minister’s announcement that the government is looking into a full ban on e-cigarettes. A 15-year-old boy was hospitalized after suffering a seizure while vaping in a school toilet, the latest case of vaping injury involving a minor. After legalizing e-cigarettes in 2024 and burdened with youth targeted by the industry, with more youth vaping than smoking, the health minister finally announced there will be a ban. But pro-industry groups are pushing back. | |
Counter actions
| International/Regional | ||
1. Global Youth Voiceswere outstanding at COP11 urging Parties to protect them by banning new tobacco products. The COP adopted several key decisions including forward looking measures, environmental protection and holding the tobacco industry liable for the harm it causes |
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2. Bangladesh has become the first country in Asia to classify cigarette filters as single-use plastic (SUP) | In classifying cigarette filters as a SUP, Bangladesh has taken concrete action to implement Article 18 of the WHO FCTC, which focuses on environmental protection in tobacco production. | |
3. Maldives successfully passes generational end to tobacco sales | Maldives became the first country in the world to pass the generational ban on sale of tobacco products to those born on 2007 onwards | |
4. Australia has applied health warning on every cigarette stick and other new measures | To step-up effectiveness of warnings on tobacco, Australia now requires 8 different warnings to be placed on every stick. Cigarette packs also feature 10 new graphic health warnings, and 10 new health promotion pack inserts with information on the benefits of quitting. | |
| 5. SEATCA released the 2025 Asia Pacific TI Interference Index and the FCTC Scorecard | SEATCA’s 5th Asia Pacific Tobacco Industry interference Index covering 24 countries, and the 2025 FCTC Scorecard was released in November | |
| National | ||
1. Brunei Darussalammaintained top ranking in the 2025 Global and Asia Pacific Tobacco Industry Interference Index | Brunei’s efforts to efficiently implement Article 5.3 of the WHO FCTC and doing due diligence on those who contact them for collaboration, has enabled them to maintain top ranking in the 2025 Global and Asia Pacific Tobacco Industry Interference Index. | |
2. Indonesian youth champions classification of cigarette filters as hazardous waste | Effie Herdi from Lentera Anak Indonesia, conducted atobacco brand audit in April-May 2025 in the Greater Jakarta area, tens of thousands of cigarette butts were found in public spaces, with an average of four cigarette butts per square meter. “Cigarette butts are toxic waste containing heavy metals, nicotine, and microplastics that threaten ecosystems and human health.” | |
3. Cambodia’s bold ban on e-cigarette investments sets a regional precedent | Cambodia’s decision to include e-cigarette manufacturing on its Negative List of Investments is a bold step that prioritizes public health over profit. Through a sub-decree signed on June 6, by the Prime Minister, Cambodia joins a growing number of ASEAN countries taking decisive action against a product aggressively marketed to youth and falsely promoted as “safer” than conventional tobacco products. | |
4. Singapore showed leadership in the region by calling on all ASEAN countries to ban vape products | Singapore Health Minister has called on all ASEAN countries to unite and ban vape products, warning that the devices pose a dangerous gateway to nicotine addiction among young people. | |
| 5. Vietnam’s National Assembly adopted a decision to integrate the ban on ESD into VN’s new investment law | Vietnam has added e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products to its list of products that are not legal to be invested in or trade commercially in the Law on Investment. | |
Here’s to stronger tobacco control and a healthier 2026. Happy New Year from all of us at SEATCA!
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