The tobacco industry has been under fire in the past decade or so as more and more people and health institutions recognize the harms of traditional tobacco products — like cigarettes. Today, cigarette smoking is associated with numerous negative health effects, as well as the development of severe health conditions like cancer and heart and lung disease. Despite that, however, there is still a market present for tobacco products. According to Statista’s market research, the global revenue in the tobacco products market is expected to continuously grow between 2024 and 2028 by $102 billion — a 10.57% growth. These tobacco products include cigarettes, cigars, and e-cigarettes, controlled by tobacco giants worldwide, including Philip Morris International (PMI) and British American Tobacco (BAT). This market growth is expected to reach a new peak of $1.1 trillion by 2028. Of course, today’s tobacco industry isn’t solely dominated by its giants. As the general public becomes more environmentally and health-conscious, many new startups have emerged to provide safer and healthier alternatives. This effort is seen worldwide as the new industry players aim for a smoke-free future. In this post, we’ll look at some key aspects of the evolution of the tobacco industry and what we can expect from the future of tobacco: Innovation of smoke-free alternatives Innovation of smoke-free alternatives
As mentioned above, many new startups have entered the scene in recent years to introduce smoke-free substitutes. Oral nicotine products like nicotine pouches have become popular due to being smoke- and tobacco-free, offering smokers and ex-smokers the chance to access nicotine without the harm of traditional cigarettes. One of the most popular nicotine pouch brands available in the US market today is On! Today, you can easily buy On! pouches in physical stores and via online retailers. The brand offers nicotine pouches at varying nicotine strengths, ranging from 2mg to 8mg, with various flavors, including citrus, cinnamon, berry, and mint. You can also buy a Mixpack, which contains five different On! flavors if you aren’t sure which flavor is right for you. Other brands have also entered the market with innovative takes on oral nicotine. German startup Splash recently released a non-combustible form of nicotine that doesn’t use aerosol but glycerin-free foam. Splash’s foam is deemed the fastest delivery system on the market, delivering the nicotine “hit” within seconds through a mouthpiece. Interestingly, Splash’s chairman, Klaus Hagen, had a long career in the tobacco industry, with his first startup featuring a battery-powered shisha. As with nicotine pouches, the use of foam is an attempt to develop a smoke-free and vape-free way of accessing nicotine. The intersection of healthcare and climate The intersection of healthcare and climate
Another key development in the evolution of the tobacco industry is the merging of health and climate concerns. While cigarettes are known to be dangerous to one’s health, they have also been deemed culprits for global environmental issues like pollution and carbon emissions. As such, many startups in the scene focus on products that meet these two needs. The nicotine pouches mentioned above, for example, are not only smoke-free alternatives but are also easier to dispose of without contributing to the pollution problem associated with cigarette filters and the numerous toxic ingredients contained in cigarettes. In a previous post, we discussed this intersection of healthcare and climate solutions, highlighting the startup competition from the OPPO Research Institute to help brands and organizations actualize their proposals for a healthier and more sustainable world. By joining acceleration schemes and startup contests, these aspiring companies can introduce innovative solutions to social challenges and pave the way for sustainable growth. That said, the same can be true for emerging startups in the tobacco industry. The future of tobacco The future of tobacco
Finally, with these visible shifts in the tobacco market, experts and researchers are constantly speculating on the industry’s future direction. The rise of oral nicotine products is a welcomed transition and initiative that aligns with the implementation of smoke-free spaces around the world. However, the tobacco industry certainly took a while to get there. Before the proliferation of smoke-free products, most cigarette alternatives like e-cigarettes, vapes, and heated tobacco products still rely on users inhaling smoke, tobacco, or nicotine, posing health risks for the lungs. Most notably, some of the key players in the shift towards healthier or smoke-free products today come from known cigarette brands like tobacco giant British American Tobacco, which is behind another nicotine pouch brand, VELO. Other entities like Philip Morris International are also investing in releasing smoke-free nicotine products, albeit sticking with the heated tobacco platform using various heating technologies. While we are yet to see further developments and innovations in the tobacco industry, it’s certainly encouraging to see this shift towards a healthier, more sustainable, and more smoke-free world.
This content was originally published here.
