27 February 2019
De La Rue, the world's leading security and anti-counterfeiting solution provider, is pleased to announce that it has signed a £3.5million contract with Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs (HMRC), to implement a track and trace system for all tobacco products sold in the UK.
The five-year contract will see De La Rue implement a digital solution to track and trace the c1.7 billion cigarette and hand rolling tobacco packs sold in the UK each year through a unique identifier. Ensuring the traceability of all tobacco products is now a legal requirement under the EU Tobacco Products Directive, Article 15, with the specific aim of preventing the illicit trade of tobacco products throughout the EU and protecting citizens from counterfeit products which could be damaging to their health.
As part of the contract De La Rue will also manage the service for HMRC with all tobacco manufacturers, importers and relevant economic operators serving the UK tobacco products sector.
De La Rue has been helping governments and tax authorities around the world to fight illicit trade and protect tax revenue for decades. De La Rue launched its track and trace digital solution DLR Certify™ in 2015 as part of its strategy to bolster its software and services offerings. In 2018, it won a five-year contract to implement a full track and trace solution for the Federal Tax Authority in the UAE to be initially applied on tobacco products.
Martin Sutherland, Chief Executive Officer of De La Rue, said:
“As a result of our continued investment in the Product Authentication & Traceability market, we are delighted to be working with HMRC here in the UK to provide this track and trace service and to partner with them on rolling this out to the wider industry.”