“MADE IN AMERICA. Phillip Morris is opening a $1.2 BILLION manufacturing plant to produce ZYN here in the USA,” declared a Tuesday X post from the White House.
It cited a story in the Wall Street Journal about Philip Morris International’s new manufacturing campus in Aurora, Colo., focused on its ZYN nicotine pouch products. In a Monday press release, Philip Morris said the manufacturing campus had opened and that commercial production began this month.
Philip Morris’ history dates back to 1847, and the company is mainly known as a manufacturer of tobacco products like cigarettes. As the American Lung Association has noted, cigarette smoking has declined since the 1960s, and especially in younger consumers since the 1990s.
However, use of nicotine pouches like ZYN quadrupled between 2022 and 2025 among youth and young adults, according to the CDC Foundation. The Wall Street Journal noted in its report that the new Philip Morris plant in Colorado will help meet increased demand for ZYN and Audacy as reported on nicotine pouches being used as a weight loss hack.
“The campus expands the company’s domestic manufacturing capabilities, strengthens supply chain resilience, and positions Aurora as a strategic production and export hub supporting future growth,” said the Philip Morris press release. It said PMI U.S. plans include investing approximately $1.2 billion total planned investment between 2024 and 2028, “including land, advanced manufacturing equipment, infrastructure, facility development, and future production capabilities,” with $1 billion incurred as f this week.
Construction was expected to create nearly 5,000 jobs and have an estimated $1 billion economic impact on the local area. Going forward, Philip Morris said the Aurora plant is expected to employ 500 people directly, to create around 1,000 indirect jobs and to generate approximately $550 million in annual economic impact.
“By integrating design, engineering, and construction under a single team, we were able to accelerate delivery while maintaining the highest standards of quality and performance,” said Jim O’Leary, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Haskell Company, the design-build partner for the PMI U.S. Aurora campus. “We are proud to have helped create a facility that will generate lasting economic opportunity for Aurora and strengthen advanced manufacturing in the United States.”
While President Donald Trump’s administration and stakeholders in the project touted its economic impact, there are concerns about the health impact of ZYN pouches. Audacy covered a report released earlier this year on risks associated with nicotine pouches, including colorful packaging that could make them appealing to children.
America’s Poison Centers reported last September that there had been a 91.7% increase in nicotine-pouch related exposures compared to the previous year. That came after a 202% spike from 2022 to 2024. Children under 6 years old accounted for the majority of exposures (73.1%), according to the centers, which noted that nicotine can harm brain development in adolescents and lead to nicotine addiction and that accidental exposure could even be life-threatening.
ZYN pouches were given the green light for marketing last year by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Audacy reported. This June, the FDA issued modified risk granted orders to Swedish Match USA, Inc. for 20 ZYN nicotine pouch products following extensive scientific review.
“With this issuance, these ZYN nicotine pouch products – which have been authorized for sale in the United States since January 2025 – may now be marketed with the following risk modification claim: ‘Using ZYN instead of cigarettes puts you at a lower risk of mouth cancer, heart disease, lung cancer, stroke, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis,’” the FDA said.
