The ‘Filter Fraud’ Persists: The Tobacco Industry is Still Using Filters to Suggest Lower Health Risks While Destroying the Environment

Cigarette butts are the most littered item on the planet—4.5 trillion are littered every year. As a result, cigarette filters are among the 10 most common plastics in the world’s oceans. These plastic filters introduce toxic chemicals into the environment and break down slowly, posing a danger to wildlife.

Attempts by the tobacco industry to produce biodegradable filters should be met with skepticism: These filters would still leach toxic chemicals and the industry would likely use the filters to greenwash their image.

Read more about the industry’s history of filter fraud.