News

In two video clips from Indonesia, farmers give an insight into how growing food is changing their lives for the better.

In Zimbabwe, a woman farmer transformed her old tobacco barn to a mushroom farm.

Zambia is on the verge of enacting one of its most significant public health laws, the Tobacco Control Bill. The law is designed to protect citizens from the harmful effects of tobacco and nicotine products.

We are discussing with experts from Mexico, Bangladesh, Sweden and Nigeria the regulation of companies and how their activities affect our health.

From status quo to change: sharing knowledge, discussing sustainable solutions and making political demands. The Unfairtobacco year 2025 in review.

Topics at the international WHO FCTC COP11 and the 23rd German Conference on Tobacco Control: youth participation, environment and climate impact, financing, tobacco industry interference and international cooperation.

In two video clips from Brazil, farmers explain why they have stopped growing tobacco and what organic farming means to them.

Online seminar on 15 October 2025, 2 p.m.: A discussion on the transition from tobacco to organic farming with experts from Brazil and Bangladesh.

World Day against Child Labour: Children still work under exploitative conditions in tobacco cultivation. The German Supply Chain Act and the EU Supply Chain Directive are important tools for putting an end to this practice.

In two video clips from Malawi, former tobacco farmers give an insight into how their lives are changing with food cultivation.

Working in alliances against nicotine marketing and exploitation in supply chains, for sustainable change. The Unfairtobacco year 2024 in retrospect.

The new German brochure focuses on the tobacco industry's supply chains. Two chapters feature tobacco farmer's legal actions against companies in Malawi and Brazil.

In Brazil, smallholder farmers ensure diversity in their cultivation with traditional seeds and community organisation. In Zimbabwe, a biodiversity project contributes to income security - without tobacco.

Today, we remind policy makers and the public of the influence the tobacco industry exerts on children and young people. In Germany, we call for a law that protects children and young people from alcohol and nicotine marketing.

Environmental destruction in part of the supply chains of disposable e-cigarettes. We asked people in Bangladesh, Chile and Peru: What are your demands for your environment, your life, your future?

Our commitment in 2023 for a change towards a tobacco-free world: Together with partners from all over the world for food instead of tobacco!

The Tobacco Lobby Index 2023 once again shows how much influence the tobacco industry can exert on politics. At the German Conference for Tobacco Control on 6/7 December, we have put the tobacco industry's strategies under close scrutiny with a plenary session.

In this video, farmers show their tobacco-free world in Bangladesh and explain how they managed to exit tobacco cultivation.

We offer a three-course meal on planetary health and tobacco control, featuring speakers from all over the world. Join us on 25th May, 3 pm (CEST).

What raw materials are in disposable e-cigarettes? We show the consequences of their sourcing for local people and the environment.

Our commitment to Tobacco Control 2022: Together with partners in Germany and around the world for more environmental protection and children's rights

The new 'Greenwashing' category on our World Map of Tobacco Industry Strategies shows several cases of how tobacco companies are greenwashing.

Three factsheets written by Unfairtobacco and PowerShift show the supply chains of tobacco and nicotine products. Focus: lithium, copper and bauxite.

The Concluding Observations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child: more tobacco control and an effective due diligence law.

The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child will review the implementation of children's rights in Germany on 5/6 September 2022. Unfairtobacco has accompanied the reporting process with a focus on tobacco control and supply chains.

We explain how the tobacco industry poisons soils and waterways, destroys forests and damages the climate. Prepare now for World No Tobacco Day 2022 with our material.

International Women’s Day 2022: Joined by 23 organisations, we publish our new brochure on women’s rights, sustainable development goals and tobacco control.

Our commitment to human rights and tobacco control in 2021: With the support of partners in Germany, Europe and the Global South, we have taken an in-depth look at the connection between tobacco control and women's rights.

The index published today reveals once again: the tobacco industry can exert a lot of influence on politics. Health organizations call for more transparency and restriction of interactions.

On World Day Against Child Labour, we renew our call to German policymakers to enforce children's rights at the beginning of the supply chain. We also appeal to the German government to support alternatives to tobacco cultivation.

World No Tobacco Day 2021 - Press Release: Unfairtobacco, FACT e.V. and 16 organisations publish a factsheet highlighting how women's rights are violated by tobacco.

In March 2021, the German cabinet approved a draft supply chain law. We explain whether it is effective against child labour and environmental damages.

Unfairtobacco participated in the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child's digital hearing with civil society last week.

Our commitment to human rights and tobacco control in 2020: With the support of partners from the Global South, we have been particularly committed to children's and women's rights and have come a step closer to our vision of a tobacco-free world.

On International Human Rights Day we present two short films from Indonesia and Zambia on human rights violations by the tobacco industry

A new index on the influence of the tobacco industry in Germany is published today. Conclusion: Tobacco companies in Germany prevent important measures to reduce tobacco consumption.

Online talk with Farida Akhter, human rights and tobacco control activist of UBINIG, Bangladesh. Wednesday, 28 October 2020. 9:30-10:30 a.m. (CET)

World Day for Decent Work: Short films by our partner organisation UBINIG show exploitation of women and children in tobacco cultivation in Bangladesh

Initiative protests with more than 222,222 signatures at the Federal Chancellery - Cabinet debate on supply chain law postponed again

A new law to extend the ban on tobacco advertising was long overdue, but has been blocked by the CDU/CSU in recent years. Now the parties have given up their resistance and agreed to a bill in the German parliament. The new law will come into force gradually from 2021.

Students from Berlin submit their report to the UN Committee oin the Rights of the Child and show how and where children's rights are infringed by tobacco.

Press release for World No Tobacco Day 2020: 19 civil society organisations working on public health, sustainable development and children's rights turn to the UN CRC and criticizes the impact of deficient tobacco control in Germany.

The tobacco industry uses the Coronavirus crisis to polish its reputation, strengthen contacts on political level and market its products.

Smoking leads to a higher risk for corona infection and disease (COVID-19). Read here why it is the right time to quit smoking.

Laura Graen, Founder of Unfairtobacco, receives the 1st Prize of the Young Professional Awards at European Conference on Tobacco or Health.

At ECToH 2020, an alliance of 20 organisations publishes a brochure on children's rights and demands governments to strengthen tobacco control.

Tobacco violates women's rights. Thus Unfairtobacco and 9 other organisations jointly submitted a report to the CEDAW committee.

British human rights lawyers bring a case against BAT and say that the corporation is responsible for child labour in its supply chain.

Our new factsheet shows how children's rights are violated by tobacco use and tobacco cultivation.

What you can win: A ticket to see Tom Hiddleston, Charly Cox and Zawe Ashton in Betrayal at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London on 27 May 2019. The show is sold out and the ticket is worth more than £100.

Our new factsheet shows how tobacco growing, cigarette manufacturing and cigarette butts are affecting forests worldwide.

What does tobacco do to the environment? A new study shows: deforestation, pesticides in the soil, nicotine in waters. Read here how tobacco ruins our nature.

We feel very honoured to have been nominated for the EU Health Award 2018 by the EU Commission. Today, we participated in the award ceremony in Brussels, together with ten other organisations.

Today, more than 110 civil society organisations request the ILO Governing Body to no longer accept funding from tobacco industry. Read their open letter here.

Our new factsheet shows the impact of tobacco growing, cigarette manufacturing and cigarette butts on water, waterbodies and oceans.

A German documentary shows: Cigarette butts not only harm the health of people, but also the health of the planet. Few people know, cigarette butts are hazardous, toxic waste. Unfairtobacco Director Sonja von Eichborn has been interviewed for this film.

New analysis exposes how the tobacco industry uses the SDGs in a broad strategy to circumvent regulation. The paper also discusses corporate engagement in the SDGs in general and features a case study on the finance sector.

Governments have the duty, as well as the right, to protect their citizens from the tobacco industry because the continued production and marketing of tobacco products violates rights from seedbed to butts, including child labor, workers' rights and the human rights to health and life.

On Arbor Day we remember Wangari Maathai and show how tobacco affects the environment.

The Governing Body of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) discusses for the third time about breaking ties with tobacco funds.

These short case studies take a closer look at alternatives to tobacco growing. Are they economically viable? Are they ecologically justifiable? Do they contribute to more social justice?

The Human Rights and Tobacco Control Network (HRTCN) this year conducts a pre-conference to the 17th World Conference on Tobacco or Health in Cape Town, South Africa, to highlight the links between tobacco control and human rights. Register now.

SDG-Factsheet No. 4 shows the health risks for workers inherent in secondhand smoke at workplaces and in working conditions in tobacco growing.

Disappointing: Governing Body of the ILO again decides to postpone its decision whether to cut tobacco ties.

Press release of the Framework Convention Alliance: On 1 November 2017, delegates of the Governing Body of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) will be asked to vote to extend their partnership with the tobacco industry. This proposal comes despite recommendations from the UN Economic and Social Committee (ECOSOC).

Press release: Responding to mounting pressure, the International Labour Organization (ILO) has to consider severing ties with the tobacco industry.

In an open letter to members of the International Labour Organisation's Governing Body, tobacco workers demand that the ILO stops its cooperation with the tobacco industry.

123 organizations from around the globe publish an open letter to Philip Morris International (PMI) demanding that they immediately cease the production, marketing and sale of cigarettes.

Open letter signed by 123 health groups demands that Philip Morris International stops selling cigarettes immediately.

On the occasion of the International Literacy Day, we publish our third SDG-Factsheet and focus on Sustainable Development Goal 4 ("Quality Education for All").

While Philip Morris International (PMI) publicly offers the world a smokefree future the corporation works hard in secrecy to hinder public health policies.

In a ceremony at the European Parliament on 31st May, the World Health Organization (WHO) recognized our longtime work for sustainable development and tobacco control with a World No Tobacco Day Award 2017.

Action on Smoking and Health and Unfairtobacco agree with the Danish Institute of Human Rights (DIHR) that Philip Morris International (PMI) should cease “the production and marketing of tobacco.”

“Big Tobacco: Profits & Lies” at Vivantes Klinikum Neukölln, Berlin, Germany

We urge the Danish Institute for Human Rights to quit its collaboration with PMI.

Bangkok, 10 March 2017: The Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) calls upon the International Labour Organization to end its ties with the tobacco industry.

Last year, we intensively worked on the impact of tobacco growing and tobacco use on a social, economic and ecological sustainablility. We showed how tobacco control can contribute to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

New paper shows: tobacco taxes can contribute to funding sustainable development.

What are the outcomes of COP7 for tobacco growers and the environment?

The New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition (NAFSN) in Malawi cooperates with tobacco companies, thus ignoring the country’s urgent necessity to move away from its dependence on tobacco exports.

The FCTC has been strengthening the relations between different stakeholders – government institutions as well as non-governmental organisations.

COP7 in India. Again, a representative of Unfairtobacco.org is on-site.

Tobacco growers’ association wants to have a say in tobacco control. But who does ITGA represent?

Our first SDG-Factsheet explains how poverty and hunger are linked to tobacco.

On World NOt Tobacco Day 2016 a group of studnet from a Berlin primary school sent colorful balloons to the sky carrying messages of smoking prevention.

Civil society organisations working in the area of tobacco control have shown since years the close links between ITIC and the tobacco industry.

Large graphic health warnings must succeed in India – in spite of the tobacco industry’s determination to stop them.

Today, Wednesday 13th April 2016, the tobacco auction floors in Lilongwe, Malawi, have been opened for this year’s tobacco marketing season.

The EU has agreements with cigarette companies to combat smuggling. Today, the EU Parliament decides whether to negotiate with PMI about a renewal of the agreement.

German civil society organisations ask Federal Government to change its policy for sustainability.

15 Years have gone by since the Millennium Summit. Ten days from today the UN Sustainable Development Summit will kick off. Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) shall be replaced by Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The British high commissioner to Pakistan has come under fire: he attended a meeting between the cigarette company BAT and Pakistan ministers. Protest against his behaviour and sign the petition!

Just one week before the scheduled date, the police of Bali withdrawn the permission for the tobacco trade fair.

In the Misiones district, north-east-Argentina, tobacco companies asked farmers to use new seeds which require much more pesticides. But nobody explained them the risks.

The World Conference on Tobacco or Health has brought many new ideas, giving renewed impetus to the work of Unfairtobacco.org. The only drawback was that the conference declaration failed to make an important statement of solidarity towards tobacco farmers.

What role does gender play when it comes to the consumption and control of tobacco? How is gender treated in both the tobacco industry and those who oppose its production and consumption?

Unfairtobacco sent a representative to the third meeting of the WHO’s working group on sustainable alternatives to tobacco growing.