21+ logo

Invested in responsibility

Only adults 21+ should have access to nicotine products. PMI U.S., including Swedish Match North America, is committed to keeping it that way. We’re focused on responsible marketing and retail safeguards. 

 

Our commitment to responsible marketing

 

 

Our marketing is directed toward existing nicotine consumers aged 21+. Our product websites require users to verify their age before viewing. Our U.S. brands never work with paid social media influencers—even when they ask us. We can’t control when people put our products on their social media feeds, but when we see inappropriate use, we flag issues directly with the social media company.

Age-gated
website access

We enforce rigorous online age verification (21+) for our branded websites, deploying third-party systems to independently confirm the age of every visitor. 

Monitoring
underage usage

We closely monitor underage use through the CDC and FDA National Youth Tobacco Survey, and the reported use rates for nicotine pouches remain relatively low.

Responsible
marketing

Our marketing and advertising are strictly directed to adult (21+) current nicotine consumers. We employ robust age verification systems like "Double Verify" to help prevent access to digital advertising from those under 21. Our advertising features only individuals aged 35 and over.

Retail technology
advancement

Swedish Match North America is a founding board member and investor in TruAge® a free retail technology that gives stores a more accurate way to detect fake IDs and restrict underage access. PMI also sits on the TruAge® board.

Responsible
social media

Our policies prohibit the use of paid social media influencers. We routinely request removal of inappropriate content online.

FDA
compliance

Our goal is to offer a comprehensive portfolio of FDA-authorized smoke-free products. We submit each product for FDA review, including the first nicotine pouch to receive pre-market tobacco authorization, as well as a snus and a heated tobacco product authorized as modified risk tobacco products.

Innovation for
age restriction

We invest in exploring new technologies to limit the visibility and restrict access to nicotine products for those under 21.

Enforcement

We work with the Department of Homeland Security to support efforts to curtail the sale of illegal and unauthorized nicotine products.

Responsible retail
practices

Swedish Match North America serves as an Advisory Council member for We Card, championing comprehensive training for retail employees, alongside in-store signage emphatically underscoring the minimum age of 21 for purchasing nicotine products. 

Mystery
shopping

We support the FDA's mystery shopper program to check retailer compliance with the federal law for minimum age of purchase. We regularly monitor inspection reports and take appropriate actions with our retail partners.

Our commitment to
retail safeguards

A vital part of the PMI U.S. mission is to make smoke-free products available only to adults who are 21 and over. We work closely with retailers to ensure our products are not accessible by those under age 21. 

To accomplish this, we launched a 21+U commercial training and advocacy campaign for our retailers and field team. The program emphasizes that retail associates make a critical difference when it comes to adhering to laws governing nicotine product sales.

Swedish Match North America is a member of the advisory council of the national nonprofit organization We Card, which champions comprehensive training for retail employees in addition to in-store signage and point-of-sale materials. It’s all part of the effort to communicate the minimum age of 21 for purchasing nicotine products in the U.S. and the importance of complying with requirements for ID checks at retail. 

Swedish Match North America is a founding board member and investor in TruAge®. This technology provides stores with a more accurate approach to age verification, including the ability to detect fake IDs and better ensure access is limited to those 21+. It is provided at no cost to retailers. PMI also sits on the board of TruAge®.

Additional information:

We Card: Resources for retailers

 

We Card, We Care: Informing adults about the problem of social sourcing – be comfortable saying NO when someone under 21 asks you to buy or give them tobacco or vaping products

 

We Card, We Care: Social sourcing resources for retailers

 

U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Tobacco 21

Our commitment to ensuring
prevention compliance

Staying informed of progress on age-restricted policies is vital to our mission of improving public health. To do that, we monitor several government sources of data, including: 

 

  • National Youth Tobacco Survey
  • Monitoring the Future Survey
  • Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Survey

Findings from the 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) conducted by the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed an overall decline in youth use of any tobacco product, reaching the lowest level ever reported by NYTS. Youth use of nicotine pouches also remained relatively low, at 1.8 percent. 

 

The data reveal tremendous progress in the U.S., but regulators, policymakers, and manufacturers must remain vigilant in ensuring nicotine products are only accessible to and being consumed by adults 21+. 

 

PMI U.S. complies with the FDA’s requirements for our authorized smoke-free products, which include: 

 

  • Submitting marketing, labeling and promotional materials and plans to the FDA 30 days in advance for review 
  • Providing periodic reports of advertising impressions and media tracking by age segment 
  • Implementing independent age verification for all owned digital media