Swiss technology leader SICPA has teamed up with Cartor Security Printers in a major new partnership to fight the growing problem of illegal vape products in the United Kingdom.
This collaboration brings together two experts in secure printing and digital tracking to help His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) protect public revenue, ensure market fairness, and keep consumers safe from fake or untaxed vapes.
SICPA, a private Swiss company founded in 1927, is well-known for securing much of the world’s banknotes and providing advanced track-and-trace solutions for governments.
The company works across five continents to help nations protect their economies, citizens, natural resources, health, and brands. It delivers integrated systems that boost revenue collection, prevent fraud, and support secure public services.
Cartor Security Printers, a subsidiary of Spectra Systems Corporation, specializes in high-security printing. It brings proven expertise in creating tax stamps and other secure documents with top-level anti-counterfeiting features.
The two companies won a landmark contract with HMRC after a detailed multistage procurement process that started in July 2025.
HMRC carefully reviewed technical and financial proposals before selecting the SICPA-Cartor consortium. The contract covers an initial five-year period, with the option to extend for one more year.
The goal is clear: to stop illicit trade in vape products, which costs the UK government millions in lost excise duties and puts consumers at risk from unregulated or dangerous items. The new system will make it much harder for fake or untaxed vapes to enter the market.
The solution combines banknote-grade security features from Cartor with SICPA’s cutting-edge digital technology.
Cartor will print the tax stamps and add core physical security elements, such as special inks and patterns that are tough to copy.
SICPA will layer on extra material protections, digital security features, and full track-and-trace software.
This includes coding the stamps, managing registrations for stakeholders and products, handling orders and payments, collecting data, and monitoring compliance across the entire supply chain.
SICPA’s digital tools will also spot suspicious patterns, flag potential fraud hotspots, and provide market intelligence to authorities. Enforcement officers will get audit devices, while consumers can use simple apps to verify products and report fakes.
The rollout happens in phases. A transitional duty stamp starts in April 2026, giving the market time to adjust. Then, from October 2026, an enhanced stamp with the complete track-and-trace system goes live.
Philippe Amon, Chairman and CEO of SICPA, expressed pride in the project. He said-:
“We are glad to support His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs in its mission to secure the market against illicit trade, We build on decades of experience in excisable products secure traceability systems and the successes of our programs throughout the world.”
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Andrew Brigham, Managing Director of Cartor, highlighted the strength of the partnership. He said-:
“Cartor is proud to work alongside SICPA to deliver this important program for HMRC, By combining our complementary strengths, this partnership delivers a trusted solution for our customer and the UK vapes market, while supporting the UK’s efforts to protect both public revenues and consumers.”
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This initiative marks a big step forward in the UK’s fight against illicit trade.
With rising concerns over unregulated vapes, especially those targeting young people, the secure, traceable system should help collect owed taxes, improve compliance, and make the market safer for everyone.
It’s a smart blend of traditional security printing and modern digital tracking, showing how innovation can tackle real-world problems.
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