<strong>China:  Ecological Cigarettes Becomes Reality</strong>

Source from:  Tobacco Asia  06/18/2013

The development of ecological cigarette products, which used to be a trend of production by Chinese tobacco manufacturers for years, eventually turned out to be a reality in China in 2012, as a result of what appears to be a major drive by the national tobacco industry to develop low-tar or reduced-harm cigarettes.

In 2012, to go ecological, organic, additive-free, low-tar and reduced-harm remained a fashionable trend leading the development of Chinas' tobacco industry.

From the growing of tobacco to the harvesting and State purchase of leaf tobacco, from raw materials purchase and tobacco blending by manufacturing enterprises, from cigarette making to packaging designing, etc, the concept of environmental protection has virtually infiltrated into all processes of cigarette manufacturing and marketing.

Southwest China's Yunnan Province – the largest tobacco-producing region in China known as the kingdom of tobacco – is home to exclusive high-quality leaf tobacco production and supply bases established or funded by almost all provincial-level China Tobacco regional companies. Although these China Tobacco regional companies may have different requirements for the various processes of tobacco production from the development of seedlings to harvesting, they have a key requirement in common – to be ecological. Therefore, in 2012, the production of "ecological green leaf tobacco" became a new characteristic of the development of leaf tobacco production in Yunnan.

Here in the exclusive high-quality leaf tobacco production and supply bases in Yunnan, no chemical fertilizer and pesticide is applied in leaf tobacco production. Under scientific guidance by tobacco companies, there are strict provisions for biological prevention and control over pests and plant diseases, application of farmyard manure, line spacing in rows and planting distances. Likewise, there are ready methods for scientific management over when to apply manure, when to water crops, when to prune, when to cap and when to harvest. In the exclusive bases, there are well-arranged irrigation ditches and channels and well-established tractor paths beside all fields, no matter whether they are for growing tobacco or not. The ditches and channels are used for draining out floor water at times of flooding and for irrigation at times of drought. The establishment of tractor paths not only makes it convenient for farmers to use small-sized farm machinery, but also contributes to providing convenience for the travel of local residents. Such facilities are part of the support projects of irrigation and transportation for tobacco production established by tobacco companies for the local population free of charge.

The unmatchable natural environment, the fine farming traditions, the scientific guidance over tobacco growing and the suitable form of organization of tobacco growers here in the exclusive bases have contributed to laying a solid foundation for the development of ecological leaf tobacco in Yunnan.
In reality, besides Yunnan, other major tobacco-producing regions in China including Sichuan in southwest China, Hunan in south central China, Fujian in southeast China and Hubei in central China have all taken the development of ecological leaf tobacco products as a major target for promoting the development of leaf tobacco production in them in future. From the Wuyi Mountain Range in the northern part of Fujian Province to Shennongjia in Hubei, which is the only well-preserved primitive forest in the mid-latitude area of the Earth, and from Mount Daliangshan on the borders between Yunnan and Sichuan in southwest China to the Wuyi Mountain Range, establishment of ecological leaf tobacco production bases has emerged as a consensus of operators of the tobacco industry.

With the backing of ecological leaf tobacco, all big competitive cigarette brands in China, particularly high-end cigarette brands, have each developed their own concepts about ecology and environmental protection with different characteristics.

After presenting to the market "the first packet of organic cigarettes" named Yuxi (Farmstead) in 2011, Hongta Group – a leading tobacco manufacturer based in Yunnan – presented to the market yet another similar high-quality cigarette product named Yuxi (Farmland) in 2012. Yuxi (Farmland) adopts leaf tobacco grown in the ecological Yuxi Farmland on Fuxian Lake in Yuxi, reputed as the Highland Pearl, as its main raw material. The thematic concept of Yuxi (Farmland) is to directly manifest the idea of "experiencing a natural life in farmland". The main designing factor of the Yuxi (Farmland) cigarette packet is combination of scenes of farmland in Yuxi, themed with the literal sign of "Farmland" in both Chinese and English on the red ribbon.

With the two newly developed leading cigarette products of Yuxi (Farmstead) and Yuxi (Farmland), Hongta Group has virtually taken a first step on the path for innovation of organic cigarette products in a sweeping trend of "going natural" in cigarette markets.

China Tobacco Fujian Industrial Co., Ltd. (CTFIC) has developed a high-end cigarette product series with the brand name of Septwolves, whose principal characteristic is "ecological continuous soft aroma". To maintain the ecological characteristics of Septwolves as a general series of tobacco products, CTFIC has developed a unique ecological technology and uses an exclusive production line known as "the 5A smart line" to process Septwolves brand cigarettes. The 5A smart line is the first production line developed by China's tobacco industry meeting the relevant standards for low-carbon operation, environmental protection and energy conservation, the relevant food safety standards, digital traceability and whole-process active defense, and also the relevant safety standards of the European Union. The 5A smart line adopts the "5A" technologies of smart multiline processing, smart aromatization and materials feeding, smart laser selection of leaf tobacco, smart nine-stage cut tobacco curing and smart alcoholization in separate storages, leading to the production of cigarettes of "5A" high quality. Besides, the 5A smart line adopts smart digitalized management over all batches of products, in which impurities can be detected and removed in a timely manner, in which leaf tobacco with quality flaws can be found, and in which the stimulative of tobacco smoke can be reduced to the lowest possible level while maintaining the aroma of tobacco, in order to maximize the potential of leaf tobacco. In the process of leaf tobacco cutting, the 5A smart line uses purified water for moisturizing the cut tobacco, effectively preventing impurities in tap water from contaminating cut tobacco.

CTFIC believes that the target of "going ecological" can be fulfilled with efforts at three levels: Efforts at the first level are to develop "ecological products", including "green" and environment-friendly raw and support materials and clean, safe and low-carbon products. Efforts at the second level are to realize "ecological manufacturing", including safety, high efficiency, cleanness and environmental protection of both the manufacturing processes and the production environment characterized with low-carbon operation, energy conservation and emission reduction. And efforts at the third level are to develop an "ecological culture", including the development of an atmosphere of competition and cooperation, study and growth, and innovation and practicality, the creation of an environment of harmony and tolerance, the development of a mindset of flexibility and openness, and the development of a balanced and organic whole, to ensure sustainable development of the enterprise. The unique technology of "continuousness and softness" adopted by the 5A smart line for producing fine cigarettes of Septwolves brand gives rise to the "ecological and continuous and soft aromatic" styles and characteristics of the general series of cigarette products of China Tobacco Fujian Industrial Co., Ltd.

In the drive to develop and make ecological cigarette products by tobacco manufacturers across China, what appears to be quite eye-catching is the "additive-free" technology adopted by China Tobacco Guangdong Industrial Co., Ltd. (CTGIC) in south China's Guangdong Province for producing cigarettes of its competitive Double Happiness brand family. The high-end Double Happiness (Treasure) brand cigarette product of CTGIC without addition of any artificial essence or flavoring well deserves the reputation as the first additive-free cigarette product of China's tobacco industry. The "magic key" to producing Double Happiness (Treasure) lies in the efforts of CTGIC to refine and innovate its 105-year-old cigarette making techniques and technologies for making cigarettes of the Double Happiness cigarette brand family, which maximize the natural pure aroma of tobacco. Without addition of any artificial chemical, Double Happiness (Treasure) brand cigarettes are capable of offering consumers a highest degree of satisfaction and comfortableness from natural tobacco aroma, in sufficient manifestation of the concept of creation of a new life with science and technology. The success of CTGIC in opening up brand new technological fields with what is original has actually contributed to starting a new trend of "totally going natural" in cigarette consumption in China.

Shanghai Tobacco Group in east China – the manufacturer of cigarettes of the time-honored competitive Chunghwa brand family – has played a great role in leading high-end cigarette production in China that can be felt everywhere. In April 2012, Shanghai Tobacco Group presented to the market a new cigarette product of Chunghwa brand known as Great Chunghwa (which literally means Great China), which can well be called a top-level product of Chunghwa. In 2012, the annual amount of taxes and profits generated by Chunghwa alone reached a high of 130 billion yuan (20.63 billion U.S. dollars), which once again proves with its great capacity the powerful status of Chunghwa in leading the production of high-end cigarette products in China. Chunghwa (including Great Chunghwa) carries forward the blending formula designing principle of being intended for supply to multiple regions in small quantities. High-quality leaf tobacco from various regions is gathered for manufacturing Chunghwa brand cigarettes. The tobacco group adheres to the policy of designating exclusive production lines, exclusive vehicles and exclusive human resources for producing Chunghwa brand cigarettes. Under the circumstance of enlarging the diameter of cigarettes, Chunghwa (including Great Chunghwa) has independently created the concept of developing and manufacturing cigarette products of "strong aroma with a low tar level". While reducing the tar level to a low of 8mg per cigarette, Shanghai Tobacco Group has succeeded in maintaining the style of the aroma type of Chunghwa. The tobacco manufacturer adopts the technology of "hardening the soft packaging" in producing Chunghwa cigarettes, effectively preventing limitation from the innovation of packaging of Chunghwa cigarettes. The new packaging of Chunghwa highlights the designing of details, and makes a comprehensive use of the techniques of embossment, outlining, microform, etc, in better manifesting the classics and lingering charm of Chunghwa.

There will not have been factors of "going ecological and natural" in consumer markets without rapid rise of the concept of healthy consumption. So far, with the world's top five tobacco-producing regions including Yuxi of China as the core, large-sized transnational tobacco manufacturing enterprises around the globe have all begun to gradually shift onto the original ecological system without the application of chemical fertilizer and pesticide, to guarantee production of "the safest" tobacco products. Use of ecological or organic leaf tobacco for manufacturing high-quality cigarette products is just in proof of this concept. To restore and maintain the originality of tobacco in all processes of tobacco production, namely to recover the original simplicity of tobacco, will also be a trend of development of the tobacco industry in future. The successful development and prevalence of the aforesaid high-end cigarette products once again proves that this trend is gradually becoming a reality. Enditem