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BANGLADESH – Total ban on vaping and “emerging products”
On 30 December 2025, Bangladesh adopted the Smoking and Tobacco Products Use (Control) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, introducing a full ban for production, import/export, storage, sale, of e-cigarettes and comparable categories of products, with immediate impact across the entire supply chain. Severe penalties apply, including up to 6 months’ imprisonment and/or fines of up to Tk 500,000 (approx. €3,506.55). The definition of “tobacco products” is expanded to also include nicotine pouches. In short, the country is taking a prohibitionist approach, with a high enforcement and penalty risk for both operators [...]
AZERBAIJAN – New rules announced and tighter enforcement on e-cigarettes
Azerbaijan has announced its intention to introduce new legislation on e-cigarettes, aimed at strengthening control mechanisms and establishing a new penalties framework. The implementing details (including fine amounts and enforcement tools) will be set out through secondary legislation following adoption of the law. The main stated rationale is the protection of minors and the reduction of use among young people, referring to World Health Organization (WHO) data indicating significantly higher e-cigarette use among minors than among adults. The proposal also aims to introduce a clearer and more distinct classification [...]
CHINA: New rules for nicotine pouches, now under the tobacco monopoly
China has recently introduced the first official regulatory framework for the nicotine pouches market and, more broadly, for oral nicotine products through a measure dated 6 January 2025 (published on 9 January 2026). The new rules entered into force immediately, bringing an end to a long-standing regulatory gap. The STMA (State Tobacco Monopoly Administration) defines “smokeless products” as products consumed orally, nasally, or through external use, without combustion. This definition explicitly includes pouches, snus, and chewing tobacco, but also oral strips and nicotine patches. The most significant change is [...]
Reform of tobacco product taxation in the EU
Reform of tobacco product taxation in the EU: what (really) changes for businesses and the market If adopted, the new excise directive will start to apply from 2028, raising EU minimum rates and also including the “new” nicotine products. Here is a practical guide – designed for manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers – to understand the Commission’s proposal (July 2025) and prepare in advance. Historical background On 9 December 2024, 16 Member States called for the modernisation of the TTD to include new products. In May 2025, a subsequent [...]
New Packaging Regulation (PPWR)
On February 11, 2025, REGULATION (EU) 2025/40 of the European Parliament and of the Council of December 19, 2024, known as PPWR, concerning packaging and packaging waste, came into force. The PPWR aims to reduce the amount of unnecessary packaging, promote reuse and recycling, and decrease the use of virgin raw materials. Its scope is broad, covering all packaging (regardless of material or sector), related waste, and all European Union member states, addressing the entire life cycle of packaging, from design to end-of-life management. By 2030, the introduced measures [...]
BLOG – Environmental labeling and Extended Producer Responsibility 2
The series of in-depth analyses on the Waste Framework Directive (Dir. 2008/98/EC, amended by Dir. 2018/851) and the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (Dir. 94/62/EC amended by Dir. 2018/852) continues. These two directives create a stringent regulatory framework that manufacturers and distributors must comply with in order to operate in the European market. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging in Europe is a legal system that transfers the burden of end-of-life packaging management to producers, importers, and distributors. This is not just an economic obligation, but a real environmental [...]