The Standardised Packaging of Tobacco Products Regulations 2015

Wrappers

4.—(1) Each of the following, namely—

(a) a unit packet of cigarettes,

(b) an aggregation of such unit packets which is not contained in a container packet, and

(c) a container packet of cigarettes,

may be enclosed by a wrapper but only if each of the following conditions is met.

(2) Those conditions are—

(a) that the wrapper is clear and transparent,

(b) that the wrapper is not coloured or marked,

(c) that any surface of the wrapper—

(i) is smooth and flat, and

(ii) does not contain any ridge, embossing or other irregularity of shape or texture that is not a necessary result of the manufacturing process, and

(d) that there is nothing attached to the wrapper,

but this is subject to the following provisions.

(3) A wrapper which encloses an aggregation of unit packets within sub-paragraph (1)(b) may have solid, black rectangles or squares but only so far as they are necessary, and of the minimum size necessary, to cover any barcode on the unit packets enclosed within the wrapper.

(4) A wrapper may have a tear tape if each of the conditions in sub-paragraph (5) is met.

(5) Those conditions are—

(a) that the tear tape is either—

(i) clear and transparent and not coloured or marked, or

(ii) black in colour,

(b) that the tear tape forms a continuous straight line which is of a constant width not exceeding 3 millimetres, and

(c) that the tear tape is parallel to any straight edge of the packet enclosed by the wrapper.

(6) Sub-paragraph (5)(a)(i) does not prohibit the tear tape from including a single, solid black line which—

(a) is not more than 15 millimetres long, and

(b) indicates where the tear strip begins.

(7) A wrapper may have a barcode (and that barcode may take the form of an adhesive label) but only if each of the following conditions is met.

(8) Those conditions are—

(a) that the sole purpose of the barcode is to facilitate the sale, distribution and stock control of the tobacco product,

(b) that the colour of the barcode is either—

(i) black and white, or

(ii) Pantone 448 C and white,

(c) that the barcode does not form a picture, pattern, image or symbol that is recognisable as anything other than a barcode,

(d) that the barcode appears only once, and

(e) that the barcode does not appear on that part of the wrapper which covers the front of the unit packet, aggregation of unit packets or container packet.