Despite having the same outward appearance as well-known tobacco brands, counterfeit tobacco is manufactured illegally and often contains unlicensed substances, affecting its taste, texture, smell and safety. Not only does counterfeit tobacco threaten the brand image of larger, licensed tobacco manufacturers, it can also pose serious health risks to consumers. In fact, according to leading tobacco company JTI, counterfeit tobacco products were found to contain weedkillers, metal splinters, dead insects and rat faeces, causing serious harm to consumers.
While sales of genuine tobacco may be declining, counterfeit tobacco is still infiltrating the market at record numbers. In January 2023, Europol seized more than 100 tonnes of illegal products including 55 tonnes of cigarettes in boxes (19.4 million cigarettes and 15 tonnes of cut tobacco). While the factory was housed in France, counterfeit tobacco is often smuggled across borders and infiltrated into global markets.
To help tackle the rise in counterfeit tobacco, we have created the world’s first quantum anti-counterfeit solution for tobacco products.
Many large tobacco companies already utilise a certain level of anti-counterfeiting, however current solutions such as QR codes or holograms can still be copied, cloned or faked. At Quantum Base, we are changing this.
Our Q-ID® Optical tags provide security at an atomic level, exploiting the inherent randomness of quantum materials to create a solution which cannot be cloned by tobacco counterfeiters. These unique identities (we call them the Quantum Signature) can be integrated easily into any existing manufacturing process and once applied to packaging can be read by a standard smartphone camera.
This allows the process of authentication to take place in just a few seconds, far quicker than many other solutions.
All you need to do to authenticate a product is download the Quantum Base app. This uses your smartphone camera to read the Q-ID® tag and provide all relevant product or brand information relating to your product. This process can be done by both employees and customers in real time.
Counterfeit tobacco costs the UK around £2 billion in lost revenue each year. Meanwhile, in Europe, on a single 40 foot container of smuggled cigarettes (10 million cigarettes) the average loss of customs duty, excise duty and VAT is € 1.5 million. This creates an obvious loss of revenue for verified manufacturers of tobacco products and governments through excise duty. Alongside this, counterfeits which pose as verified manufacturers can cause damage to the brand’s reputation, especially if it has detrimental effects on the consumer’s health. Our anti-counterfeit solution can help to reduce this loss of income and foster positive brand associations whilst protecting the consumer. Alongside these, you can also enjoy:
If you would like to learn more about how our Q-ID® tags can provide reliable anti-counterfeiting for your company, get in touch.