Category: Disposables

  • Reynolds Launches Disposable Non-Nicotine Vape

    Reynolds Launches Disposable Non-Nicotine Vape

    Credit: Casimiro

    R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company (RJRVC), an operating company of Reynolds American Inc. (Reynolds American), the BAT Group’s U.S. subsidiary, announced today that it is expanding its innovative vapor portfolio with SENSA, a zero-nicotine vapor product.

    As the market leader in vapor with its Vuse products, RJRVC is joining the growing marketplace for zero-nicotine vapor products and aims to establish the highest standards in the industry, according ot an emailed press release.

    SENSA products include a locking feature to prevent unintended usage, and adult consumers of the device will have access to Call2Recycle’s battery recycling program, which will facilitate the responsible disposal of SENSA batteries.

    “Adult tobacco and vapor consumers across the retail marketplace are looking for more options,” said Valerie Mras, senior vice president for RJRVC. “Adding a zero nicotine product to our growing vapor portfolio is driven by deep adult vapor consumer insights and enables us to responsibly compete within a category that is already well established in many countries.”

    The SENSA portfolio of flavors is intended for adult tobacco and vapor consumers and does not include flavors intended to appeal to those underage. The product will be responsibly marketed to adult tobacco and vapor consumers, consistent with the Reynolds American organization’s marketing practices for tobacco and nicotine products, according to the release.

    SENSA is intended to be sold only to adult tobacco and vapor consumers 21 and older; marketing touchpoints will be adult-oriented, and all web properties will be age-gated.

  • US Customs Seizes 53,700 Illegal Flavored Vape Pens

    US Customs Seizes 53,700 Illegal Flavored Vape Pens

    U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Chicago recently seized 53,700 electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) for violating the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act).

    The shipment, originating from China, was destined for a wholesaler in Mississippi, according to a CBP release.

    The vaping pens were inspected by CBP and the FDA, and it was determined that the shipment violated the FD&C Act as it consisted of adulterated consumer goods being imported by an unauthorized agent. On June 10, the FDA announced the establishment of a federal multi-agency task force to combat the illegal distribution and sale of e-cigarettes.

    “Our officers are dedicated to identifying and intercepting these types of shipments that could potentially harm the health and wellbeing of people within our communities,” said LaFonda Sutton-Burke, Direction Field Operations, Chicago Field Officer. “Customs and Border Protection’s trade enforcement mission places a significant emphasis on intercepting illicit products that could harm American consumers, and we will continue to work with our consumer product safety partners to identify and seize unsafe and illicit goods.”

    The 179 boxes were mislabeled as electronic atomizers, a common practice used to smuggle unapproved goods into the U.S. CBP presumes the products were being sent to a wholesaler for wider distribution throughout the country. CBP continues to work diligently to stop non-legitimate products from entering the U.S. The ENDs had a combined Manufacturer’s Suggest Retail Price of over $1.08 million.

  • Elfbar ‘Equipped to Pivot’ Around UK Disposable Ban

    Elfbar ‘Equipped to Pivot’ Around UK Disposable Ban

    Credit: Profit Image

    The company behind two of the UK’s most popular vape brands says new reusable versions leave it “well-equipped” to deal with the upcoming ban on disposables, despite concerns over producers exploiting “loopholes.”

    Elfbar and Lost Mary have already launched reusable versions of their popular disposable vapes.

    Elfbar said it was “addressing demand” for a tool to help smokers quit.

    But critics say the vapes will not achieve the ban’s environmental aims, reports the BBC.

    Councils have also warned that the UK government should not let producers exploit “loopholes” in the ban.

    Green Fun Alliance is one of the main distributors in the UK of Elfbar and Lost Mary, which account for nearly half of the British market.

    It is owned by low-profile Chinese entrepreneur Shengwei Zhang, 51, who also controls the companies that make Elfbar and Lost Mary vapes.

    The latest accounts for Green Fun Alliance show that its sales have skyrocketed as disposable vapes gained popularity—almost tripling to £117.3m for the year ending January 31, 2023.

    In a filing with Companies House, Green Fun Alliance noted the government’s plans to ban them from next April “will have a detrimental effect on sales and profitability.”

    “However, management have been preparing for this and are well equipped to pivot their business to the exclusive sale of non-disposable vapes and related products,” it said.

  • Philippines: Momentum Building for Disposables Ban

    Philippines: Momentum Building for Disposables Ban

    Photo: Mihail Reschetnikov

    Momentum is building in the Philippines for a proposal by Finance Secretary Ralph Recto to ban disposable e-cigarettes, reports The Philippine Star.

    The Department of Health has indicated support for the proposal, just like some senators, but the Department of Trade and Industry, which enforces the country’s vape law, has yet to take a stand.

    Eric Singson, mayor of Candon in the tobacco-producing Ilocos Sur province in Northern Luzon, said he was open to the idea. “If it is really hazardous to a person’s health, then it’s OK with me, we will subscribe to regulation, just like the Tobacco Regulation Act,” he said.

    Both the Department of Agriculture and National Tobacco Administration have yet to communicate their respective positions.

    Several countries in Europe including the United Kingdom, Ireland and Belgium have announced disposable vape bans.

    “If that is the trend, then maybe there is a very good reason for banning it. If it’s something of a health concern to the users, especially the minors, then I’m open to it,” Singson told The Philippine Star in an interview in.

    In Asia, disposable vapes are already banned in Singapore, Thailand and Taiwan.

    Recto proposed the ban in response to the rise in youth vaping and the impact of disposable products on the environment, with illicit e-cigarettes further eroding tax revenues.

  • Virginia Vape Registry, Flavor Ban on Governor’s Desk

    Virginia Vape Registry, Flavor Ban on Governor’s Desk

    Credit: FotoMak

    Flavored vaping products lacking authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration could be pulled from Virginia shelves, as a pair of identical bills head to Governor Glenn Youngkin’s desk for his signature. The governor has previously said he would sign the bills.

    Del. Rodney Willett, and Sen. Creigh Deeds, say their bills would help eliminate the 50 percent of illegal, unregulated vapor and e-cigarette products currently being sold in the commonwealth. Both lawmakers said the bill’s intent are to also curb underage vaping, as no flavored e-cigarettes or vapes are currently authorized by the FDA.

    “It’s a very serious situation and what this bill is intended to do is protect children,” Willett told the Virginia Mercury in an interview last week. “It’s to protect adults who are lawful consumers and then also the wholesalers and retailers themselves.”

    Willett said the bills would create a registry of non-flavored products that can be sold in the Commonwealth. These products must be FDA-authorized or under the agency’s application process.

    Both legislators said several businesses have sent them letters in support of the bill because they want to make sure they’re selling legal products. Willett said the businesses also “want to protect legal consumers from ingesting undisclosed, harmful chemicals that are found in the unlawful vaping products.”

    Representatives from tobacco company Altria emphasized that the bill would clarify for retailers which devices they can and cannot sell. Altria spokesman Steve Callahan told the House of Delegates’ ABC and Gaming Subcommittee in February the legislation “is a common sense solution.”

    However, opponents of the bill said it serves to only benefit big tobacco companies at the expense of small businesses and Virginians trying to quit smoking through vapor products.

    Tony Abboud with the Vapor Technology Association said there are currently 13 million vapers across the U.S.. Yet, only six different types of FDA-authorized e-cigarettes are currently on the market. He said tobacco companies like Altria would reap the benefits from the legislation and compared the bill to a scenario in which all beer except for Bud Lite and Miller Lite are removed from stores.

    “Bud and Miller would love it, right, because they are definitely going to pick up some more customers,” Abboud said.

  • Airscream Readies to Invest in Malaysia Vape Market

    Airscream Readies to Invest in Malaysia Vape Market

    Photo: Airscream

    Airscream UK plans to invest MYR100 million ($21.12 million) in its operations over the next five years and move its headquarters to Malaysia, reports the Business Times.

    The company has already set up administrative, sales and marketing operations as well as a showroom in Shah Alam, with close to 40 employees locally and 100 globally.

    Airscream founder and CEO Sam Ong cited a robust market and vaping industry ecosystem as reasons for the company’s decision.

    Over the past decade, Malaysia’s vaping industry has grown into a MYR3 billion business, providing employment to more than 30,000 Malaysians, according to the Malaysian Vape Chamber of Commerce.

    Ong believes the market is poised for further growth, potentially driving more foreign direct investments into the country and bolstering job creation.

    “We are also encouraged by the passing of the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Bill 2023, which brings Malaysia on par to other countries around the world, including the U.K., Australia, Thailand and Singapore, which have standalone legislation on tobacco and vape,” Ong was quoted as saying.

    Airscream was established in 2018 as a manufacturer and retailer of the AirsPop vape product.

  • Belgium Disposable Ban Won’t Reduce Use: Vape Group

    Belgium Disposable Ban Won’t Reduce Use: Vape Group

    Credit: Carius Badstuber

    A ban on disposable vapes will not reduce consumption, according to a Dutch e-cigarette association press release. The announced sales ban on disposable vapes in Belgium, just like the flavor ban in the Netherlands, will not help young people use fewer e-cigarettes, said Emil ‘t Hart, chairman of the Dutch Industry Association of Electronic Cigarette Sellers (Esigbond).

    With the ban beginning January 1 next year, Belgium wants to ensure that young people, in particular, use fewer products containing the harmful and addictive substance nicotine. “I wonder how enforceable this is. Vapes are also bought in Belgium through all kinds of channels, such as Chinese online stores or Snapchat. But you can’t stop the online trade with a ban,” Hart claimed.

    The chairman said a few days before the Dutch ban came into force in January that people in the Netherlands are circumventing the flavor ban by buying flavored vapes in Belgium and elsewhere. Young people, Hart said, are not as affected by the ban because they too often buy disposable vapes online in China. “The best thing would be to close the gates to China,” he said.

    Belgian Minister of Health Frank Vandenbroucke announced the sales ban this week. According to him, Belgium will become the first country in Europe to ban the sale of disposable vapes.

  • Belgium to Ban Sale of Disposable Vape Devices

    Belgium to Ban Sale of Disposable Vape Devices

    Photo: Bennphoto

    Belgium will ban the sale of disposable e-cigarettes effective Jan. 1, 2025, making it the first EU country to do so, reports The Brussels Times, citing Federal Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke. The country has received approval from the European Commission for the ban.

    “The disposable e-cigarette causes a lot of damage to society and the environment,” said Vandenbroucke. “This harmful product mainly targets our young people. I am therefore pleased that we can remove this from the market.”

    Vandenbroucke said that marketing for vapes is “very savvy” and “youth-oriented” despite sales of vapes to minors being banned in Belgium. Youth use is widespread, and in 2023, about three in four points of sale sold disposables to minors, according to an inspection.

    “Belgium is playing a pioneering role in Europe to break the power of the tobacco lobby,” Vandenbroucke said upon receiving approval for the ban from the European Commission. “This is another milestone in our fight against tobacco.”

    “We strive for a smoke-free generation and want people, especially young people, to be better protected and to come into less contact with tobacco or alternative smoking methods,” Vandenbroucke said. “With this measure, we ensure that we remove an extremely harmful product from the market, which is also cheap and therefore attractive to young people.”

    Nondisposable e-cigarettes will still be allowed as many use them to quit smoking combustible cigarettes. “Still, we have been able to agree that they can no longer be offered with lights and other things to make them attractive,” Vandenbroucke said. “It should not be a product to start smoking but to stop smoking.”

  • Switzerland: Illegal E-Liquid Levels in Disposables

    Switzerland: Illegal E-Liquid Levels in Disposables

    Credit: Anthony Brown

    The Swiss Association for Smoking Prevention has said that most disposable electronic cigarettes sold in Switzerland do not comply with the law. The quantity of liquid and nicotine levels exceed the authorized thresholds.

    The standards in force in Switzerland are based on a 2014 European directive. This stipulates that each “electronic cigarette with a so-called closed system”, also known as “puff bars”, may not contain more than 2ml volume of liquid. This corresponds to around 600 puffs.

    However, according to the association’s study, more than half the products sold on the Swiss market exceed this value. Puffs offering 1500 or 2500 puffs are “commonly available” on online sales sites or in stores, according to media reports. But it’s even possible to order puffs online with a 30 ml tank, i.e. 16,000 puffs. That’s 15 times more than the legal limit.

    The survey also denounced excessive nicotine percentages, even though the law stipulates that a disposable electronic cigarette may not contain more than 20 mg/ml of nicotine. Some cantons had reacted and forced certain stores to withdraw these products from sale following a study published in March 2022.

    The association does, however, mention a site where puffs containing a concentration of 50 mg/ml can be purchased. It is also “easy” to order puffs directly from Chinese sites, with no restrictions on volume or nicotine concentration, and have them delivered to Switzerland.

  • Shisha Vibe, Waste Care Partner to Recycle Vapes

    Shisha Vibe, Waste Care Partner to Recycle Vapes

    Shisha Vibe, a vape store in London, announced it has a new disposable vape recycling program being offered across its retail stores.

    The company’s new disposable vape recycling program partners with Waste Care, a recycling and waste management service specializing in hazardous waste removal. The scheme has been designed to provide customers and the local community with easy access to 30-litre bins to encourage the safe and environmentally responsible disposal of single-use vapes, according to a release.

    “Shisha Vibe is at the forefront of promoting environmental sustainability in the vaping industry, thanks to our groundbreaking partnership with Waste Care,” said a spokesperson for Shisha Vibe. “This collaboration has led to the introduction of a unique disposable vape recycling scheme within our retail stores.

    “Centered around the installation of 30-liter bins, this initiative invites our customers to participate actively in eco-friendly practices by depositing their used disposable vapes. We’re proud to offer our customers a practical solution to vape waste, demonstrating our dedication to a greener future and responsible vaping practices.”

    Earlier this year, Waste Care partnered with UK retailer B&M in a vape recycling program, along with the e-cigarette brand Elf Bar and vaping manufacturer Supreme plc.

    The partnership is said to have introduced more than 700 in-store vape recycling bins across B&M retail locations.

    The hazardous waste management provider oversees the collection of the bins once full, ensuring the responsible disposal of single-use devices.