2025 – A Year in Headlines

January

India moves forward with track and trace on cigarettes; ITSA selected as liaison organisation to EU standards body; two independent studies reveal smokers in Uruguay prefer illicit cigarettes; predicting trends that will define stamps and traceability in 2025; Smurfit Kappa secures Irish tobacco stamp contract; Belarus’ role in illicit trade under scrutiny; Giesecke+Devrient launches smart label for supply chain tracking; understanding unclonable patterns; China integrates drug traceability codes with medical insurance data; real authentication labels on fake vapour products; balancing traceability and authentication – challenges for governments and manufacturers; notorious markets report highlights growth in counterfeit drugs from online pharmacies.

February

FCTC celebrates 20 years – but illicit trade still a big challenge; the digital/ physical debate in the face of threats from AI and quantum computing; quality and colour – the unsung guardians of secure documents; Metrc launches cannabis QR code pilot in Canada; bridging the skills gaps in security printing; Applied DNA exits authentication business; how does the world’s most valuable spirit handle counterfeiting?; US patent awarded on built-in authentication for vinyl; anticounterfeiting inspired by duck feathers; Luminescence to protect deposit return revenue in Türkiye.