The Irish Government signed in March 29th for Standardised Packaging on Tobacco. Companies will need to produce products according to the following standards:
- packages will be in neutral colours;
- the brand and variant names would be presented in a uniform typeface for all brands;
- and all forms of branding (trademarks, logos, colours and graphics) have to be removed from the packaging.
The legislation will come into force in September 2017.
Irish Minister of State Corcoran Kennedy said “The tobacco pack is the last advertising medium for the tobacco industry in Ireland and so is a critically important form of promotion. Standardised packaging is the next step in tackling the promotion and advertising of tobacco. There is strong evidence emerging from Australia, that introducing standardised packaging is both effective and proportionate in reducing the toll of tobacco use on the population. Research has shown that younger people are more influenced by brands. Ireland has the lowest age of children starting to smoke among all the EU Member States and almost 80% of smokers in Ireland start when they are children. Standardised packaging will reduce the attractiveness of tobacco products and forms a key part of Ireland’s strategy to reduce tobacco use, particularly uptake among children and young people.”
More information here.
More information on EFA's work on tobacco and smoking here.