In a new initiative to combat environmental pollution, Minister for the Environment Magnus Heunicke (S) has announced that the Ministry of the Environment will explore the possibilities of introducing legislation that imposes extended producer responsibility on the producers of nicotine pouches. This step comes in the wake of the discovery that over five million nicotine pouches end up in the Danish nature or public spaces each year. “It is clear that it makes a big impression on me that 5.3 million nicotine pouches end up in nature every year. That is far too many,” says Heunicke. This concern is supported by a report from DTU Sustain, prepared for the Danish Environmental Protection Agency, which also highlights the need for action. Extended producer responsibility means that producers must take responsibility for the cleanup and disposal of their products when they end up as waste in nature. This concept is already implemented in the EU’s directives for the cigarette industry, where producers must compensate Danish municipalities with 84.5 million Danish kroner annually for the cleanup of cigarette waste. However, nicotine pouches are not covered by these directives. “To me, there is no difference whether it is cigarette butts or nicotine pouches ending up in nature. It is waste that should not be lying and floating in our nature,” says Heunicke. He adds that the nicotine in the pouches can have harmful effects on the environment, which requires further studies to determine the full extent. During the Danish Society for Nature Conservation’s annual waste collection in April, at least 115,000 snus and nicotine pouches were found. Charlotte Juul, a project manager at the association, expresses hope that nicotine pouches will be included in the extended producer responsibility, which already applies to cigarettes. The Danish Environmental Protection Agency points out that nicotine pouches are problematic for both animals and nature, as they can contain up to 63 percent of the original nicotine after use. This initiative from the Ministry of the Environment could be an important step in the fight against environmental pollution from tobacco products.

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