Around 1,000 tonnes of cigarette butts are discarded on the ground in Switzerland each year. The Green Liberal Party wants the federal government to do more to tackle the problem, including encouraging tobacco companies to redesign cigarette filters, reported RTS.
Most filters are made from cellulose acetate, a polymer also used in the textile industry. In other words, they are a form of plastic. A cigarette butt can take up to 15 years to break down, releasing microplastics as it does so. These can enter water and soil and, eventually, the food chain.
Céline Weber, a Green Liberal member of parliament from Vaud, argues that the problem warrants political action. The impact of these microplastics on the environment and, ultimately, on our plates is not being taken seriously enough, she said.
Ms Weber has asked the Federal Council to assess the situation and wants cigarette manufacturers to be encouraged to develop more biodegradable filters. Other industries, she notes, are already trying to replace certain materials with fully biodegradable alternatives. She sees no reason why cigarettes should be exempt from the same pressure.
A national awareness campaign
The tobacco industry says it is working on filters that cause less environmental harm. Philip Morris, contacted by RTS, argues that there is currently no environmentally friendly alternative that also meets the technical, quality and safety requirements of the product.
The company is therefore focusing on changing consumer behaviour—though presumably not by encouraging consumers to stop smoking—alongside public awareness and individual responsibility. The federal government, meanwhile, has brought together retailers, cantonal and municipal authorities and tobacco companies to consider ways of reducing cigarette litter.
The aim is for the industry to introduce voluntary measures to cut the number of cigarette butts discarded in public spaces. A nationwide awareness campaign is expected by the summer of 2027.
Europe already offers an additional model for reducing the problem. Under EU rules, tobacco companies must help pay for the collection and clean-up of discarded cigarette filters, applying the principle that producers should bear some of the cost of the waste their products create. France has gone further, requiring cigarette-makers to finance a dedicated scheme that supports municipalities in tackling butt litter. Switzerland could adopt a similar approach. In addition to urging manufacturers to devise greener filters, it could charge them according to the volume of cigarettes they sell and use the proceeds to fund street cleaning, disposal infrastructure and prevention campaigns.
More on this:
RTS article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
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