Tobacco Asia

24 tobaccoasia / Issue 4, 2018 September / October by Patrick Meredith, Innovations & Commercial Development Director, Essentra Acco rding to World's Top Exports, the global sale s from tobacco cigarettes exports totaled US$21.2 billion in 2017. The largest exporter last year was Germany, exporting US$3.1 billion worth of cigarettes, equating to 14.5% of global exports. This was followed by Poland (US$2.9 billion), Neth erlands (US$1.6 billion), and South Korea (US$1.1 billion). However, despite still leading the field, both Germany and the Netherlands, for ex- ample, export much less than they were five years ago. Compared to the amounts exported in 2013, last year the Netherlands exported 46.6% less and Ger many 14.6% less. On the other hand, South Korea and Poland steadily grew their exports over the past five years. In fact, South Korea saw the world's largest growth, exporting 114.4% more in 2017 than it did in 2013. Cigarette Filters: Staying Relevant in Today's Market Innovation is key: Essentra's Tube Dual with mandrel The increases and decreases of exports around the world is easily explained by a combination of factors, including technology, innovation, con sumption, and regulation. Though the over- all global consumption of tobacco is decreasing, certain parts of the industry are growing. New in- novations such as e-cigarettes and tobacco heated products (THPs) see large growth, and more novel and specialist variations of traditional products at lea st remain steady. As these products gain trac- tion in an overall declining sector, it is important for manufacturers and suppliers to adapt, focus- ing on producing, importing and exporting those products to maintain relevant. Like any other sector, the best way to stay rel- evant is to continue to innovate, utilizing the latest and newest technologies. The markets that are do

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