How we select and review evidence

How GGTC chooses, labels and reviews the sources on its tobacco and the environment page.

Evidence hierarchy

Every source on the page carries a visible type label. Sources are weighed in the following order.

1

Official WHO and WHO FCTC sources

Treaty text, guidelines, Conference of the Parties decisions and WHO publications.

2

Peer-reviewed research

Published studies and reviews that have undergone independent scientific review.

3

Official government sources

Laws, regulations and official government or regional-body documents.

4

GGTC policy analysis

Analysis by GGTC that interprets the sources above for policymakers.

5

Advocacy / coalition positions

Statements by organizations and coalitions. These show support for action but are not counted as evidence.

Inclusion criteria

Sources are included if they meet the following criteria:

  • Directly relevant to tobacco or nicotine products and their environmental impacts, waste, costs, liability or the protection of related policymaking.
  • Published by an identifiable author or institution, with the publisher and year stated.
  • Free from tobacco-industry funding or involvement, consistent with Article 5.3 of the WHO FCTC.
  • Accessible through a working public link or in the GGTC resource library.

Review process

Sources go through a structured review before they are added.

  1. 1
    Screen

    Check if the source meets the inclusion criteria.

  2. 2
    Label

    Assign the correct source type and visible label.

  3. 3
    Verify

    Check the accuracy of the claims and supporting information.

  4. 4
    Add and monitor

    Add the source to the page and recheck links regularly. Claims on the page are worded no more strongly than the source allows.

Authors, reviewers and update cadence

The page is prepared by the Global Center for Good Governance in Tobacco Control (GGTC).

The page is reviewed regularly and whenever a significant source or policy development changes its content.

Country cost estimates

GGTC’s tobacco-plastics country fact sheets and tool are based on the Sy 2023 estimates. These estimates (Sy 2023) cover cigarette-filter and packaging plastics only. They do not represent the full cost of tobacco; any other figure in the tool falls outside their scope. They translate those estimates into country-specific waste-management costs and marine ecosystem losses.

They do not represent all environmental, economic or health costs associated with tobacco, and any figure shown in the tool beyond cigarette-filter and packaging plastics is not part of these estimates.

Open the tobacco-plastics country tool

Limitations

This hub covers where tobacco control and environmental policy most directly intersect. It does not review every environmental impact across the tobacco lifecycle.

Whether a product is classed as hazardous or electronic waste depends on its composition and national law, so statements here are general and not legal advice.

Evidence differs by country and product. Findings from one setting may not apply to another.

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