WHO FCTC Knowledge Hub for Articles 17 and 18 - environment & tobacco

19/06/2025

❗️Child labour in to***co farming is both a human rights and public health crisis.

👉SDG 8.7 calls to end it this year.

🚨 While to***co execs rake in millions, children are trapped in fields—working in hazardous conditions, caught in cycles of poverty and debt.

The to***co industry claims to be part of the solution—but it’s part of the problem.
We need:
✔️ -free supply chains
✔️ Fair to***co taxation (WHO FCTC Article 6)
✔️ Enforcement of Articles 17 & 18: sustainable alternatives to to***co growing 🫘🍅 & protection for vulnerable families

🌱 Let’s and protect the future of our children and our planet.

🔗 Policy recommendations → https://fctc.who.int/resources/publications/m/item/policy-options-and-recommendations-on-economically-sustainable-alternatives-to-to***co-growing

🧰 Article 17 Toolkit → https://fctc.who.int/resources/publications/m/item/toolkit-for-article-17-of-the-who-framework-convention-on-to***co-control

02/06/2025

To***co Production Next Door? 🚬🏠

BAT Bangladesh has been ordered to vacate its head office and factory in Mohakhali, a central district of Dhaka. The Supreme Court rejected the company’s appeal to extend its land lease with the Dhaka Cantonment Board.

The Mohakhali factory, built in 1965 as the company’s second factory in the country, is located right next to a residential neighborhood, a major shopping mall, and schools. The company had operated on the site under a 30-year renewable lease, with a maximum term of 90 years. After the board declined to renew the final 30-year lease, BAT went to court – and lost.

The Bangladesh Environment Movement had long called for the plant’s removal due to its role in environmental degradation.

A May report by the Bangladesh Network for To***co Tax Policy revealed several violations of key environmental standards, adding to growing concerns about the factory’s impact on public health.

Learn more: https://extranet.who.int/fctcapps/fctcapps/fctc/kh/alternativelivelihoods/bat-bangladesh-ordered-vacate-office-and-factory

WHO FCTC Cetab - Fiocruz Stop To***co Bangladesh Bangladesh Network For To***co Tax Policy - bnttp

31/05/2025

It’s ***coDay🚭!

This year’s campaign focuses on exposing the tactics used by the to***co and ni****ne industries to make their products appear attractive.

These industries are targeting a new generation with electronic products that continue to pose health risks – and cause serious environmental harm.

Decades ago, in the 1950s, cigarette filters were introduced to ease public concern about smoking-related lung cancer. Even today, many consumers still see them as safer, even though the majority of independent research shows that filters do not reduce the harms associated with smoking.

In addition, they are typically made from non-biodegradable cellulose acetate and are one of the main sources of ***co product waste.

As for newer electronic products, their use not only poses health risks but also generates various forms of waste – including plastic, e-liquid containers, packaging, and batteries – contributing to three categories of waste: , , and hazardous chemical waste.

***coDay2025
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29/05/2025

Lilongwe ‒ Shombe Banda from Kasungu District in Central Malawi was a to***co farmer for 35 years. He recently switched to growing other crops, such as soya beans, groundnuts and maize. His motivation to change was mostly economic, he says.

13/05/2025

In India, at least 4.5 million workers are involved in the production of bidis – hand-rolled ci******es made of loose to***co wrapped in dry leaves. A large part of this workforce is home-based, including both women and children.

Bidi manufacturing is highly labor-intensive and poses serious occupational health risks.

With support from the HCL Foundation, the Cancer Institute (WIA) launched a series of initiatives to promote alternative livelihoods for women in bidi production.

A number of awareness programs have been organized in various locations since 2015, sensitizing nearly 3000 bidi rollers on the risks associated with their livelihood.

A survey of 1,000 bidi workers revealed that:
- 78% were found to suffer from ailments like respiratory issues, chronic cough, and skin diseases;
- 80.4% wanted to shift to another form of work.

The program then offered skill development training in tailoring, handicrafts, and wig making, with 1,209 women participating.

The Cancer Institute surveyed 148 trained women, finding that 106 successfully stopped engaging in beedi rolling, while 32 still continued to do so (10 couldn’t be reached).

➡ Article 17 of the WHO FCTC calls on Parties to promote economically viable alternatives for ***co workers, growers and individual sellers.

The information and photos were taken from this report: https://extranet.who.int/fctcapps/fctcapps/fctc/kh/alternativelivelihoods/e-library/skill-development-training-mukkudal-tirunelveli

WHO FCTC Cetab - Fiocruz ASH: Action on Smoking & Health To***co Free Generation To***co Industry Watch BD

07/05/2025

Microplastics have gained increasing attention from researchers, but pollution and health impacts caused by microplastics are rarely linked to to***co products and related electronic devices. In many cases, only discarded cigarette filters are mentioned.

This report by our colleague Dr. Milena Maciel , PhD in Public Health, addresses the issue of microplastics and the environmental impacts caused by the entire to***co production chain.

The document was published by Cetab - Fiocruz, where our KH is based, and is available in English and in Portuguese on our website: https://extranet.who.int/fctcapps/fctcapps/fctc/kh/alternativelivelihoods/publications-article-18

17/04/2025

Indonesia is one of the world’s top ***co leaf producers.
A recent study explored how to***co production affected the agricultural economy in Lampung — a province where to***co is commonly grown — between 2016 and 2022.
Here’s what it found:

Both to***co production and the land used for it had little impact on the province’s agricultural Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP).
In fact, the data suggests that increasing to***co cultivation might slightly reduce overall agricultural output.

Why?
Probably because to***co takes up land and labor that could be used for other, potentially more profitable crops.
These findings show that expanding to***co farming can negatively affect other agricultural sectors and hinder sustainable growth.

Even though Indonesia is not a Party to the WHO FCTC, it can be really helpful to learn from this research.

It was conducted by researchers from Universitas Nahdlatul Ulama Lampung in Purbolinggo, and Universitas Muhammadiyah Metro, both in Indonesia.

Check it out: https://extranet.who.int/fctcapps/fctcapps/fctc/kh/alternativelivelihoods/e-library/impact-to***co-production-and-cultivated-area

Cetab - Fiocruz WHO FCTC

07/04/2025

To***co family farmers are exposed to health issues such as Green To***co Sickness and pesticide poisoning. Child labor also remains widespread in to***co-growing regions, exposing children to the same risks as adults.

These families deserve better.
They need support to transition to healthier, more sustainable livelihoods.

Remember that Article 17 of the WHO FCTC calls on Parties to promote economically viable alternatives for to***co workers, while Article 18 requires that Parties take into account the protection of the environment and human health in relation to to***co cultivation and manufacturing.

21/03/2025

A new preprint in “Environmental Health Perspectives” reveals that pollutants from cigarette smoke and waste can fuel the growth and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria – both in the environment and in smokers’ lungs.

create a toxic microenvironment, allowing resilient bacteria to thrive. Used filters were found to host more potential human pathogens and antimicrobial resistance markers than unused ones. These high-risk microbes can hitchhike from wastewater to natural ecosystems.

The authors estimate that, through cigarette butts, around 280 quintillion (2.8×10²⁰) bacteria, 150 quintillion (1.5×10²⁰) antimicrobial resistance genes, and 63 quintillion (6.3×10¹⁹) potential pathogens get into new environments annually.

Antimicrobial resistance is a growing crisis, rendering once-effective antibiotics ineffective and causing millions of deaths annually.

The study was conducted by researchers from the Technical University of Dresden, University Hospitals Heidelberg (Germany), and Tsinghua University (China).

Links in the comments.

WHO FCTC Cetab - Fiocruz Battle Superbugs

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13/03/2025

In Malawi 🇲🇼 , over 7,000 ***co farmers, including their wives and 3,000 children, are suing BAT and Imperial Brands.

They claim they have been impoverished, trapped in debt, and caught in a cycle of poverty due to the companies' actions to maximize profits, while the companies profited from , worker exploitation, and hazardous working conditions.

The case is ongoing. You can find more details in this report by Donald Makoka (Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources), published by Unfairto***co:
https://unfairto***co.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Broschuere_Unfaire-Lieferketten_Malawi_EN_2024.pdf

In the same brochure, Raquel Gurgel, a member of our KH, discusses the cases of three Brazilian farmers trying to hold the to***co industry responsible for their diseases and injuries. Check it out here:https://unfairto***co.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Broschuere_Unfaire-Lieferketten_Brasilien_EN_2024.pdf

The entire brochure is available at: https://unfairto***co.org/en/material/brochure-unfair-supply-chains-focus-to***co-industry-german-only/ #/

WHO FCTC Cetab - Fiocruz Global Center for Good Governance in To***co Control GGTC Expose To***co ATCA - African To***co Control Alliance ACTbr
Centro de Apoio ao Tabagista

10/03/2025

A new report by The Sustainable Development Initiative and Expose To***co reveals how crop diversification programs led by large ***co companies are failing to***co farmers in Malawi.

Researchers analyzed public documents and past studies, and gathered first-hand perspectives from 160 farmers and 14 key informants connected to to***co cultivation in the country.

The findings show that these programs are ineffective, keep farmers dependent on the ***coindustry, and appear to serve primarily as a corporate social responsibility (CSR) effort.

It’s worth reading: https://exposeto***co.org/campaigns/to***co-farmers-crop-diversification

Cetab - Fiocruz WHO FCTC

Big To***co claims to help Malawi's to***co farmers grow new crops. But farmers say programs can leave them indebted to to***co companies.

27/02/2025

Happy birthday to the WHO FCTC!


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