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Tobacco industry accountability for marine pollution: country and global estimates
Summary
This analysis estimates the financial and ecological costs of cigarette filter plastic pollution in marine environments country by country, arguing that these costs should be attributed to and paid by the tobacco industry. Cigarette filters are made of cellulose acetate microplastic fibers — one of the most abundant microplastic types on beaches globally — making tobacco industry accountability a concrete policy lever for reducing a major, preventable source of plastic ocean pollution.
Efforts to reduce plastic pollution should address cigarette filters as toxic, widespread and preventable sources of marine pollution. Countries may develop specific estimates of waste management and ecosystem costs in order to assign tobacco industry accountability for this pollution. These results indicate minimum estimates for a majority of countries.