uk bat.com - Plain packaging

No country anywhere in the world requires plain or unbranded packaging of tobacco products. The idea was considered some years ago in Canada but was dropped over concerns that it would be contrary to international law and doubts that it would be effective.

However, the debate has not gone away and removing colours, designs and trademarks familiar to consumers is on the World Health Organisation’s agenda. 

It wants countries introducing new laws as a result of signing the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to consider forcing all product packaging to be plain or unbranded. This is a guideline and not binding on governments.

In April 2010, the Australian Government said that it wants to make plain packaging law in 2012.

Strongly opposed

We are strongly opposed to plain packaging of our products. There is no proper evidence to suggest that plain packs would have any effect on smoking uptake by anybody, including children.

Alan Johnson, the UK's then Secretary of State for Health, told parliament on 16 December 2008 that: "... there is no evidence base that it (plain packaging) actually reduces the number of young children smoking".

We believe we are entitled to use our packs to distinguish our products from those of our competitors. The restriction of valuable corporate brands by any government would risk placing it in breach of legal obligations relating to intellectual property rights and, in most cases, international trade.

If it became necessary, we would take every action possible to protect our brands, the rights of our companies to compete as legitimate commercial businesses selling a legal product, and the interests of our shareholders.

We also believe that plain packaging would commoditise tobacco products and make price the sole identifiable product feature. This could even lead to increased consumption as adult smokers switch to cheaper brands - or cheap, illegal counterfeit cigarettes.

Such a move would make it harder to prevent smuggled and counterfeit products entering a market, eroding government tax revenue and disrupting efforts to tackle the illegal trade in tobacco products that plays a significant role in funding international crime and terrorism.

While there are no specific proposals for plain packaging in the UK, our September 2008 submission to the UK Department of Health’s consultation on future tobacco regulation offers more comment on this topic, among others.