Japan Tobacco Inc. (JT) announced that it will introduce a BIG PACK version of all five tobacco capsule variants designed for its with2 infused tobacco system. Scheduled for release in Japan on August 4, 2026, the refreshed packaging doubles the contents from five capsules and one cartridge to ten capsules and two cartridges while maintaining the same flavors and formulations

Ireland’s Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) (Amendment) Bill 2026 has passed final stage in the Dáil and will move to the Seanad, with measures to limit vape flavours to tobacco or unflavoured products and tighten rules on packaging colours, retail advertising, in-store displays and sales of nicotine pouches to minors.

Italy’s Lazio Regional Administrative Court has dismissed an appeal by Italian Tobacco Manufacturing and Manifattura Italiana Tabacco over the cigarette excise calculation mechanism, upholding the minimum tax burden rules and excluding compensation for smaller tobacco operators.

Philip Morris International (PMI) has confirmed plans to bring its IQOS heated tobacco device to Argentina by the end of 2026, after the Argentine government lifted long-standing restrictions and created a regulatory framework for heated tobacco, e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches.

The Scottish Government plans to remove business rates relief from vape shops from April 1, 2027, saying the measure is intended to ensure vape retailers contribute to the high street and align rates relief with public health commitments, while the impact on convenience stores that sell vaping products remains unclear.

Several European sports outlets have reported on a suspected nicotine pouch seen in French footballer Michael Olise’s locker photo, bringing football’s long-running “snus” culture back into public view and highlighting brand visibility, product classification and public-health debate around nicotine pouches in sports settings.

South Korea began full enforcement of tobacco-style rules for synthetic-nicotine e-cigarettes on June 24, 2026, with fines of up to 100,000 won for use in non-smoking areas and enforcement focus on online sales, raw nicotine liquids and products falsely marketed as nicotine-free.

Reuters reported that Shopify may ban all vape products from its platform as soon as this week, signaling that U.S. enforcement against the illegal vape market is expanding from retailers and importers to e-commerce platforms and payment networks.

As regulation tightens and innovation matures, competition in the new tobacco industry is shifting. In its 2026 Global Product Trends in the New Tobacco Industry report, 2Firsts examines how heated tobacco, nicotine pouches, and vape products are moving beyond feature-driven upgrades toward system-level design, where experience management, compliance structure, and engineering capability increasingly shape long-term competition.

Alan Zhao analyzes post-Operation Absolute Resolve geopolitics and the rise of “U.S.-referenced regulatory alignment” in South America’s novel tobacco market as U.S. influence grows. Using regulatory reliance, digitalized enforcement, and industrial shifts, he assesses how rule redesign may alter market access, competition, and supply chains, asking how firms can find durable certainty as order is rewritten.