Even though consumption has been declining for years, sales of tobacco cigarettes in Germany have recently increased slightly. The business with tobacco heaters and e-cigarettes continues to grow particularly strongly.
After a significant decline last year, the cigarette business in Germany has picked up again somewhat. In the period from January to July, sales of tobacco cigarettes increased by around three percent compared to the same period last year, said the general manager of the Federal Association of the Tobacco Industry and Novel Products (BVTE), Jan Mücke, today at the start of the Intertabac trade fair in Dortmund.
Given the previous year’s decline of 8.3 percent, this is a moderate plus. This increase is expected to level off again by the end of the year. Mücke justifies the previous increase in sales by saying that summer started early. “As a result, people were outside a lot and some felt like smoking outside.”
Long-term trend remains declining
Nevertheless, the long-term trend remains downward as cigarette consumption has been declining for years. According to industry figures, 145 billion taxed cigarettes were sold in 2002, but last year the figure was 66 billion. “We are at a historic low in cigarette sales in Germany – the downward trend will continue,” says Mücke.
Industry representative Mücke promotes so-called reduced-pollutant products, which include tobacco heaters, e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches that are intended for oral use. The tobacco industry wants to continue doing profitable business with these goods in the future.
Trend towards Multiple use with e-cigarettes
According to an industry estimate, the controversial disposable e-cigarettes are also losing some of their popularity with customers, but remain a mass business. The share of disposable items in the e-cigarette market is currently 30 percent, which corresponds to a decrease of 10 percentage points compared to 2022, said the Alliance for Tobacco-Free Enjoyment (BfTG).
The proportion will continue to fall by the end of the year. This decline is due to newly introduced alternatives in which only the liquid cartridge ends up in the trash and the electrical device is used multiple times. This year the trend is “towards sustainability,” said BfTG boss Dustin Dahlmann.
criticism of disposable items
The disposable items are completely thrown away when the liquid has evaporated – the built-in battery also becomes waste. If disposable items are incorrectly disposed of in residual waste or in the yellow bin, they can cause fires. Environmentalists also complain that using an electrical item once is a waste of resources.
In addition to disposable and reusable items, traditional e-cigarettes are also available on the market where the liquids can be refilled. These conventional devices create no waste due to disposable components.
Warning Health risks
Overall, the e-cigarette industry continues to experience strong growth. The BfTG forecasts e-cigarette sales of 810 million euros in Germany this year, which corresponds to an increase of 40 percent compared to 2022. In the previous year, growth was also 40 percent. The figures are based on a survey among the members of the alliance, i.e. dealers and manufacturers in Germany.
Scientists warn about the health risks of the products, in which a flavored liquid often containing nicotine is vaporized and inhaled by the consumer.