UKVIA Separates Itself From Tobacco Firm Funding

British American Tobacco, Imperial Brands, Japan Tobacco International and Philip Morris International are no longer members of the UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) the organization has announced.

In a statement from the UKVIA, the industry advocacy group states that it will no longer include any tobacco companies within its membership. It also will not be accepting any new applications for membership by vaping businesses wholly or part owned or acquired by tobacco companies moving forward.

The trade body states that “the interests of the industry would be best served by the association being independent of any involvement or funding from tobacco-owned vaping brands”.

It hopes to dispel “misconceptions” that the group is funded largely by tobacco companies and to overcome any potential restrictions tobacco companies may face when engaging with key stakeholders in the move to smokefree, according to media reports.

“In representing vaping-only businesses, many of which are independent firms founded on the back of personal loss of family members as a result of smoking combustible cigarettes, the UKVIA wants to be fully engaged with key stakeholders across the board as we have the same vision, which is to make smoking history,” the release states. “The association sees this as being a vital step in ensuring that the public health potential of vaping is fully realized and the sector making its fullest contribution to the delivery of the smoke free targets over the next few years to 2030.”