UK Government Takes World-Leading Steps to Enable a Ban on So-Called Cigarette ‘Filters’ to End the Harm from Smoking

The UK could become the first country in the world to ban cigarette filters after the Government tabled a surprise amendment to the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. This news follows amendments tabled by APPG Smoking and Health members Jim Dickson MP in the House of Commons and Baroness Natalie Bennett in the House of Lords calling on the Government to act on ‘filter fraud’.  

The amendment would give the Government wide-ranging powers to take action on filters in a range of ways, including advertising and packaging. Crucially the powers would also enable the government to prohibit the manufacture, sale or possession with intent to supply of filters in the UK. This would end decades of tobacco industry deception and tackle one of the country’s most pervasive forms of plastic pollution.  

It comes in response to growing calls from Action on Smoking and Health along with other public health and environmental campaigners to ban the misleading so-called “filters”, which provide no health benefits and are the most littered item in England. It is hoped that prohibition will help to prevent young people from starting smoking and support adult smokers to understand that “filters” provide no health benefits encouraging them to quit.  

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill already includes landmark measures to phase out the sale of tobacco to future generations. This latest move strengthens the Bill’s public health ambition by targeting one of the industry’s most persistent myths: that filters make smoking safer. 

Filters were introduced in the 1950s after the link between smoking and lung cancer became undeniable. Internal tobacco industry documents described them as an “effective health gimmick”.  

Today, just one in four adults in Great Britain are aware that filters provide no health benefit.i Two-thirds of smokers believe that filters offer at least a small amount of protection - a misconception fuelled by decades of misleading marketing. 

Cigarette filters are the most littered item in England, accounting for around two-thirds of all littered itemsii and costing UK local authorities an estimated £40 million each year to clean up.iii Most contain single-use plastics and leach thousands of toxic chemicals into soil and waterways. 

Caroline Cerny, Deputy Chief Executive at Action on Smoking and Health said: 

“This Bill is about protecting the next generation from a lifetime of addiction and disease. Taking action on cigarette filters would shut down a decades-old tobacco industry deception and potentially eliminate a product feature that was designed to mislead, not protect. 

“The UK could show real global leadership by becoming the first country in the world to ban cigarette filters. This would be a bold, evidence-based step that protects public health, tackles plastic pollution, and reinforces our commitment to a smokefree future.” 

Mary Foy MP, Co-Chair of the APPG on Smoking, said:

"The APPG on Smoking and Health applauds the Government’s first step towards banning cigarette filters. Filters are damaging to the environment and dangerous to public health, giving smokers a false sense of protection from the harms of tobacco. This bold move could make the UK the first country in the world to act on filter fraud- cementing our role as global leaders in the fight against tobacco." 

Dr Dannielle Green, Ecologist and Associate Professor at Anglia Ruskin University said: 

“All cigarette filters are harmful to the environment. Research from Anglia Ruskin University shows the extent of this, with filters leaching toxic chemicals into soils and waterways causing harm to plants and animals. We welcome the Government’s commitment to pursuing evidence-based policy through these powers.” 

The Government have tabled a range of other amendments taking into account issues raised by parliamentarians and seeking to strengthen the powers in the Bill. Specifically: 

• Additional powers to regulate the technological features of vape or heated tobacco devices
• Explicit exemption for public health advertising campaigns to allow them to promote nicotine products such as vapes for smoking cessation
• A review of the Bill will be undertaken between 4 and 7 years after the passage and a report provided to parliament
• Allow monies raised from Fixed Penalty Notices are retained by local government rather than returned to the Consolidated Fund.

ENDS 

Contact: press@ash.org.uk 

Notes to editors 

• While some cities in California are set to introduce filter bans in 2027, no country has yet implemented a nationwide ban. If the amendment is passed and the Government exercises its powers to prohibit these products, the UK would likely become the first country in the world to do so.