Unit packets of tobacco products
The mandatory, permitted and prohibited information on the unit packets of tobacco products is laid down in the Tobacco Act. In addition, the Tobacco Act regulates the shape (also applies to roll-your-own tobacco), material and opening mechanism of the unit packets for cigarettes.
The unit packet of a tobacco product may include the brand name of the tobacco product and the tobacco product group, the business name and contact details of the manufacturer or importer, as well as the packet size and barcode of the product. However, the information must be presented so that the labelling does nothing to help the unit packet stand out from other unit packets of the same tobacco product group and the labelling does not promote the product.
Unit packets of tobacco products must be marked with text warnings in Finnish and Swedish, as well as picture warnings of health hazards caused by tobacco products. In addition, the unit packets of tobacco products must include a notice text on the harmfulness of tobacco smoke and a text on giving up smoking.
The unit packets of tobacco products must also contain a unique identifier to ensure the traceability of a unit packet and a tamper-proof security feature composed of visible and invisible elements. For cigarettes and roll-your-own tobacco, the new labelling related to traceability must have been in place from 20 May 2019 and for other tobacco products, from 20 May 2024.
The “SUP Directive” and national waste legislation related to the reduction of the environmental impact of plastic products impose labelling requirements on the unit packets and sales packaging of products with filters subject to the Tobacco Act and on the packaging of filters sold for use with tobacco products.
The labelling on tobacco products or their unit packets may not:
- promote the product or encourage its consumption by creating an erroneous impression about its characteristics, health effects, risks or emissions;
- include any information about the nicotine, tar or carbon monoxide content of the product;
- suggest that the product is less harmful than others or aims to reduce the effect of some of the harmful components of smoke (e.g. natural, organic, additive-free);
- suggest that the product has vitalising, energetic, healing, rejuvenating, natural or organic properties, or that its use has other health or lifestyle benefits (e.g. energy, organic);
- refer to taste, smell, any flavourings or other additives, or the absence thereof (e.g. no flavourings);
- resemble a food or a cosmetic product;
- suggest that the product has environmental advantages;
- suggest that the product is fire safe or otherwise create an impression that the product is not dangerous or that it has a reduced fire risk compared to other similar products.
The list is not exhaustive, and some labels that are not included in the list can be addressed under the provision on the marketing ban if necessary.