Category: Disposables

Innokin Eco-Friendly ‘Trine’ Device Coming in March

To help lessen the environmental impact of disposable vapes, vaping manufacturer Innokin is stepping up its efforts to ensure a more sustainable future in vaping. With the introduction of its Trine innovation, Innokin is at the forefront of aligning with initiatives in European regions to tackle the environmental challenges posed by disposable vapes.
Innokin’s new Trine vaping device represents a revolutionary approach with its unique 3-in-1 structure, according to an emailed press release. It moves away from the traditional disposable model and incorporates innovative features that enhance sustainability. The new design focuses on easy recycling and longer device life cycles.
First, the Trine’s design includes a removable battery, facilitating easy recycling and reducing electronic waste. This feature allows the battery to be easily replaced or recycled, much like regular external batteries, thus minimizing the device’s environmental footprint.
The battery endurance of the Trine solution also leads to an enhanced lifespan. Each battery supports over 300 full charge cycles while maintaining more than 80 percent of its original capacity. This translates to a lifespan of up to two years under normal usage conditions, in stark contrast to disposable alternatives that contribute to the rapid accumulation of electronic waste, according to Innokin.
Additionally, the Trine solution incorporates Innokin’s new EcoDrain technology, an eco-safe battery recycling solution. This technology actively addresses the challenges of handling discarded batteries, ensuring their safe and efficient discharge before recycling.
“Innokin’s forward-thinking approach also aligns with the upcoming EU battery regulation, which mandates that all battery-powered devices, including e-cigarettes, must feature batteries that are removable and replaceable by the end user,” the release states.
Innokin plans to launch a new product that uses the Trine solution in March. “This eagerly awaited release represents a significant milestone in their commitment to sustainability and innovation, promising consumers a greener and more eco-friendly vaping experience,” the release states.
For more information about Innokin’s Trine solution and its approach to sustainability, visit https://innokin.com.
February 5, 2024
Ban Forces Chill Brands to Pivot From Disposables

Callum Sommerton, CEO of Chill Brands Group, told media outlets that his company is already pivoting towards a post-disposable product landscape after the UK government announced its plans to ban disposable vaping products.
Sommerton highlighted the company’s focus on compliance and innovation, emphasizing its development of a fully compliant, reusable pod system, which is being accelerated in response to the proposed regulations.
Sommerton also raised concerns about the potential unintended consequences of the ban, such as the growth of a black market for disposable vapes and a possible resurgence in tobacco use, in media reports. Citing studies and opinions from health and industry organizations, he argued for regulation over outright prohibition.
“The government’s ban, or proposed ban, I should say, is frustrating but not entirely surprising. We have prepared ourselves. At this stage, we don’t exactly know what the ban will specifically include or not include,” Sommerton said. “We can take a good guess at that, but this is, at the moment, policy and PR as opposed to draft legislation.
“So, we will have to wait and see. But that being said, regardless, we are already starting to, if we hadn’t already, pivot ourselves and position ourselves within the market for a post-disposables landscape, which we’re now sort of careering towards.”
The new rules are expected to provide retailers with a six-month moratorium once any prohibition occurs. Sommerton said there is a clear opportunity to bring to market a product that is compliant, reusable, rechargeable, and contains a degree of novelty.
“That novelty for us focuses on actually helping people quit nicotine and tobacco rather than just keeping them hooked in a cycle of addiction. We’ll be revealing much more about the products that we intend to place on the market in due course,” he said. “But beyond that, I do think this is a sort of watershed moment for the industry, albeit the government’s measures are likely to have the unintended consequence of supporting a black market in disposable vapes.
“In the legitimate market, I fully anticipate that we will see certain brands that are perhaps only interested in turning a quick buck and moving on, leaving the market, while those that are interested in longevity, building a business, and building a brand will stay in place.”
February 4, 2024
FEELM Launches Disposable Charge-Free Vape

FEELM, a vaping industry leader in closed-system products, has launched the world’s first charge-free disposable vaping system. The new Power Alpha 2.0 solves the problem of needing repeated charging in the large puff vapes currently popular on the market.
FEELM started developing the charge-free battery technology that can empower large-puff vapes as early as 2022. The previous version of the company’s original Power Alpha technology could only support 6,000 puffs without charging.
The upgrade more than doubles the count to 15,000 puffs, according to an emailed press release.
FEELM states that the Power Alpha 2.0 also solves the issues of decaying tastes in cotton mesh coils, realizing consistently true flavors in every puff.
The Power Alpha 2.0 is equipped with FEELM’s TopPower technology. “Relying on this technology, the energy density of Power Alpha 2.0’s battery cells is 40 percent higher than … products of the same size, making Power Alpha 2.0’s battery cells 40 percent smaller than … products with the same amount of power.
“The extremely low self-discharge rate is another addition to benefits. A 700 percent lower self-discharge rate compared others on the market, which can lead to a longer shelf life and better support customers’ global market rollout.”
The Power Alpha 2.0 also uses a unique Mesh constant power solution, leading to a taste that is 300 percent more consistent than other products on the market, according to FEELM.
“With the substantial increase in the vapor volume and atomization efficiency, Power Alpha 2.0 supports the ability to fully vaporize the e-liquids for richer and fuller flavors, ” the release states. “Experiment data shows that the Power Alpha 2.0 solution’s atomization efficiency has increased by 200 percent along with an increased vapor volume of 49 percent compared to similar products from competitors. The numbers show a very evident advantage.”
January 31, 2024
Sunak Asked to Reconsider UK Disposables Ban

Photo: Lumos sp
The U.K. Vaping Industry Association sent a letter to U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to “express profound dismay and disappointment” that the government decided to proceed with a disposable vape ban.
“This decision jeopardizes the significant progress made in reducing smoking rates in the U.K. and poses a threat to the well-being of millions of adults who have successfully quit smoking with the help of vaping,” the letter reads.
“We urge the government to reconsider the ban on disposable vapes and adopt a more balanced approach that prioritizes effective enforcement over draconian bans,” the letter says. “A distributor and retailer licensing scheme, as proposed to government repeatedly by the UKVIA, would achieve such an outcome without any cost to the taxpayer.”
January 30, 2024
New United Kingdom Vape Rules to Ban Disposables

Photo: Mikhail Reshetnikov
The U.K. will ban disposable e-cigarettes, the government announced today.
According to the government, disposable vapes have been a key driver behind the rise in youth vaping, with the proportion of 11 to 17-year-old vapers using disposables increasing almost ninefold in the last two years.   
As part of the package, the government will also acquire new powers to regulate vape flavors, e-cigarette packaging and product presentation in stores to ensure that they don’t appeal to underage users. Additionally, the government will bring in new fines for shops in England and Wales that sell vapes illegally to children. Vaping alternatives, such as nicotine pouches, will also be outlawed for underage consumers.
In its announcement of the new measures, the government also reiterated its commitment to a generational tobacco ban. To help implement the new rules, government agencies such as the Border Force, Revenue and Customs and Trading Standers will receive £30 million ($38.1 million) in new funding a year.
 “As prime minister I have an obligation to do what I think is the right thing for our country in the long term. That is why I am taking bold action to ban disposable vapes—which have driven the rise in youth vaping—and bring forward new powers to restrict vape flavors, introduce plain packaging and change how vapes are displayed in shops,” said ,” said Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
“Alongside our commitment to stop children who turn 15 this year or younger from ever legally being sold cigarettes, these changes will leave a lasting legacy by protecting our children’s health for the long term.”

While action to prevent youth access to vaping is critical, this move smacks more of a desperate attempt by the government to sacrifice vapers for votes ahead of the upcoming general election.
John Dunne, director-general, UKVIA
Public health officials welcomed the government’s decision. “We’re delighted that the Westminster government has heard our calls and is rightly prioritizing the health and well-being of our children and the planet,” said Mike McKean, vice president for policy at the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health. “Bold action was always needed to curb youth vaping and banning disposables is a meaningful step in the right direction. I’m also extremely pleased to see further much needed restrictions on flavors, packaging and marketing of vapes.”
Representatives of the vape industry, by contrast, were dismayed, pointing to significant role disposable vapes have played in bringing the U.K.’s smoking rates down to a record low.
“While action to prevent youth access to vaping is critical, this move smacks more of a desperate attempt by the government to sacrifice vapers for votes ahead of the upcoming general election,” said John Dunne, director general of the U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA), in a statement.
“If the government thinks banning disposables will help protect young people, they are completely misguided. This counterproductive legislation will sooner put children at greater risk by turbo-charging the black market and, in turn, making it easier for them to access illicit and noncompliant vapes.”
Pointing to recent research from University College London, the UKVIA said the answer to youth vaping doesn’t lie in counterproductive bans and restrictions, but rather in effective and proactive enforcement of the law which states that it is illegal for vapes to be sold to minors.

We can’t have a two-tier society in which some adults are permitted to buy tobacco and others are denied the same opportunity.
Simon Clark, director, Forest
The government’s continued commitment to a generational tobacco ban, meanwhile, prompted a strong response from smokers’ rights activists, who said the plan infantilizes adults.
A new poll for the smokers’ lobby group Forest found that almost two thirds (64 percent) of adults in Britain say that when people are 18 and legally an adult, they should be allowed to purchase cigarettes and other tobacco products.
“As soon as you are legally an adult you should be treated like one and allowed to buy tobacco, if that’s your choice,” said Simon Clark, director of Forest.
“We can’t have a two-tier society in which some adults are permitted to buy tobacco and others are denied the same opportunity.”
Urging Downing Street to step back from the policy, he added: “Law-abiding retailers will have the difficult job of enforcing this absurd policy that also drives a stake into the heart of traditional Conservative values such as freedom of choice and personal responsibility.”

January 29, 2024
Disposables Ban Could Thwart Cessation: Study

Image: Viktoria Ostroushko
A ban on disposable vapes, currently being considered by the U.K. government, could discourage the use of e-cigarettes among people who are trying to quit smoking, according to a new study led by researchers from University College London (UCL) and funded by Cancer Research U.K.
Published in the journal Public Health, the study looked at survey responses from 69,973 adults in England, Wales and Scotland between January 2021 and August 2023.
The researchers found the proportion of adults using disposable e-cigarettes rose from 0.1 percent to 4.9 percent during that period. The increase was particularly pronounced among 18- to 24-year-olds, with 14.4 percent using disposable vapes in 2023, as well as among smokers (16.3 percent) and people who had stopped smoking in the past year (18.2 percent).
Use among people who had never regularly smoked was relatively rare (1.5 percent) but was higher among 18- to 24-year-olds, of whom 7.1 percent used disposable e-cigarettes and had never regularly smoked tobacco.
“Our study suggests a ban on disposable e-cigarettes would affect an estimated 2.6 million people in England, Wales and Scotland,” said lead author Sarah Jackson, of the UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care, in a statement.
“This group includes about 316,000 18- to 24-year-olds who currently use disposables but who have never regularly smoked tobacco. However, it also includes 1.2 million people who currently smoke and would benefit from switching to e-cigarettes completely, and a further 744,000 who previously smoked and may be at risk of relapse.
“While banning disposables might seem like a straightforward solution to reduce youth vaping, it could have substantial unintended consequences for people who smoke.
“In the event of a ban, it would be important to encourage current and ex-smokers who use disposables to switch to other types of e-cigarettes rather than going back to just smoking tobacco.
“In addition, we found disposable use to be particularly prevalent among recent ex-smokers with a history of mental health conditions. This group may require targeted support to help them avoid relapse.”

While banning disposables might seem like a straightforward solution to reduce youth vaping, it could have substantial unintended consequences for people who smoke.
Lead author Sarah Jackson, UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care
The research team used data from the Smoking Toolkit Study, in which a different sample of 2,450 adults in Great Britain (who are representative of the general population) are interviewed each month.
They found disposable e-cigarette use was significantly higher among adults living in England than Wales or Scotland (5.3 percent vs. 2 percent and 2.8 percent at the end of the study period) and among those from less (vs. more) advantaged social grades (6.1 percent vs. 4.0 percent), those with (vs. without) children (6.4 percent vs. 4.4 percent), and those with (vs. without) a history of mental health conditions (9.3 percent vs. 3.1 percent).
Until recently, the researchers noted, very few adult vapers in Great Britain used disposables, but in 2021 new disposable e-cigarettes entered the market with designs and branding that appealed to young people, causing use of disposables to quickly rise in the U.K. and elsewhere. These products are available widely, for instance in corner shops, and are sometimes promoted via colorful in-store displays.
While they are convenient to use, with a very low upfront cost, they have also become an environmental problem, with millions of the devices reportedly thrown away in the U.K. each week.
A ban may discourage use of e-cigarettes among people trying to quit smoking and may induce relapse among those who have already used disposables to quit.
Senior author Jamie Brown, UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care

“There is a need for action to reduce disposable vaping among young people who have never smoked,” said senior author Jamie Brown, a professor at the UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care. “However, trade-offs need to be carefully considered. A ban may discourage use of e-cigarettes among people trying to quit smoking and may induce relapse among those who have already used disposables to quit. Cigarettes are far more harmful to our health and are not currently banned and a ban on disposable e-cigarettes may signal to large numbers of people that these products are worse for our health or that their harm is comparable to that caused by smoking tobacco. I favor a range of alternative policies, in the first instance, allied with rapid evaluation to judge whether these are sufficient to achieve reductions in youth vaping.”
In the paper, the researchers outlined other measures to strengthen the regulation of disposable vapes that had a reduced risk of unintended consequences, such as causing relapse among ex-smokers.
These included prohibiting branding with appeal to children (e.g., bright colors, sweet names and cartoon characters), prohibiting promotion of e-cigarettes in shops, putting e-cigarettes out of sight and reach of children, and putting an excise tax on disposables to raise the price to the same level as the cheapest reusable e-cigarettes. Defining disposables may prove problematic so a minimum unit price may be more a straightforward alternative to reduce their affordability and is something that could be implemented quickly.
The researchers noted that their data might underestimate prevalence of disposable vape use. This is because survey respondents were asked which type of e-cigarette they mainly used, so people who used disposables as a secondary product were not captured.
In addition to Cancer Research UK, the study received support from the U.K. Prevention Research Partnership.
January 28, 2024
Most Defendants Dropped From NJOY Vape Suit

Credit: Success Photo
A U.S. District Court in California has dismissed a lawsuit filed by NJOY, the vape subsidiary of Altria Group, against multiple manufacturers, distributors, and retailers of disposable vapes. However, the case against IMiracle, the manufacturer of Elf Bar, has not been dismissed.
NJOY filed the lawsuit last October. The company alleges that the companies named in the suit are selling products illegal in California and the United States. NJOY asked for a nationwide injunction that would prevent future importation and sale of the products, and compensatory and punitive damages paid to NJOY.
Among the companies charged were manufacturers and distributors of Breeze, Elf Bar, Esco Bar, Flum, Juice Box, Lava Plus, Loon, Lost Mary, Mr. Fog and Puff Bar. Together the brands make up the majority of the U.S. disposable vape market.
The dismissal order was entered on Jan. 18 by Judge Terry J. Hatter Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The court found that the defendants did not participate in “the same transaction, occurrence, or series of transactions or occurrences,” and therefore were improperly joined in the lawsuit. Because of that, Judge Hatter dropped all parties from the suit except the first named defendant, IMiracle, according to media reports.
The judge entered the orders “without prejudice” allowing NJOY to refile against the dismissed defendants individually or in smaller groups with demonstrable relationships. The court also dismissed NJOY’s claim of unfair competition and its motion for a preliminary injunction barring sales and distribution by the defendants.
The court denied NJOY’s motion to serve IMiracle, the manufacturer of Elf Bar headquartered in Hong Kong, by email, citing an established international process, the Hague Convention, for serving legal notice to foreign defendants.
NJOY’s lawsuit against IMiracle cannot proceed until the Chinese manufacturer is served notice.
January 24, 2024
Retailer Teams With Industry to Recycle Vapes

Credit: William
UK retailer B&M will soon start a vape recycling program in partnership with the e-cigarette brand Elf Bar and vaping manufacturer Supreme plc. The group hopes to reduce the environmental impact of disposable vaping products.
The partnership will introduce more than 700 in-store vape recycling bins across B&M retail locations.
The campaign aims to enhance vape recycling by providing consumers with a means of disposing of their used vape devices, according to media sources. The products are not collected from homes. It begins before the end of January.
The hazardous waste management provider Wastecare Group will oversee the collection of the bins once full, ensuring the responsible disposal of the single-use devices.
“B&M welcomes the opportunity to work in a three-way partnership with Elf Bar and Supreme to tackle the ongoing environmental damage occurring by single-use, disposable vaping products,” a B&M spokesperson said. “We want our consumers to use the products we sell in a responsible manner, and that remains even when they are no longer of use. Like many of the other products we sell, vapes should never be binned or littered – especially now they can be so easily recycled.”
The Scottish Government has expressed intentions to consult on banning single-use vapes due to concerns about their impact on public health and the environment. The UK Government is being urged to follow suit.
Wastecare Group’s recycling process involves the recovery and recycling of raw materials under existing disposal rules. The collected vape batteries will undergo processing to recover lithium, while the filter and nicotine elements will be sent for incineration.
All recycling processes will take place within the UK.
“Continuing Elf Bar’s commitment to its GreenAwareness program, this marks another step towards helping the public dispose of used vapes sustainably and responsibly,” said Elf Bar UK’s director of government affairs, Eve Peters.
January 16, 2024
AP Reports Elf Bar Sellers Not Paying Taxes, Import Fees

Credit: BCFC
Last week, U.S. authorities publicly announced the first seizure of some Elf Bar products and other disposable vape brands as part of an operation confiscating 1.4 million illegal, flavored vapes from China.
Officials pegged the value of the items at $18 million.
The Associated Press, however, is also reporting the vapor maker of Elf Bar and other disposable brands, Shenzhen iMiracle and others, has imported products worth hundreds of millions of dollars while repeatedly dodging customs and avoiding taxes and import fees, according to public records and court documents.
Records show the makers of disposable vapes routinely mislabel their shipments as “battery chargers,” “flashlights” and other items, hampering efforts to block products that critics say are driving teen vaping in the U.S.
“The steps toward regulating disposables have been very weak and that has enabled this problem to get bigger and bigger,” said Eric Lindblom, a former Food and Drug Administration official.
Elf Bar is the lead product of Shenzhen iMiracle, a privately held company based in Shenzhen, the sprawling Chinese manufacturing hub that produces more than 95% of the world’s e-cigarettes.
Elf bar lost mary
Elf Bar, Lost Mary and several other iMiracle brands are expected to generate $3.5 billion to $4 billion globally this year, according to industry analyst ECigIntelligence.
In the U.S., iMiracle recently abandoned the Elf Bar name due to a trademark dispute and efforts by regulators to seize its imports. Instead, its products are sold as EB Create.
At a 2022 court hearing in the case, U.S. distributors described skyrocketing sales.
Jon Glauser, of Demand Vape in Buffalo, N.Y., told a federal judge his company had sold more than $132 million worth of Elf Bar products, accounting for a third of its yearly profits.
“We were selling it faster than we could get it in,” Glauser said, according to the court transcript.
Glauser attributed Elf Bar’s quick rise to its profit margin. Sellers make about a 30% profit, double that of other disposable e-cigarettes, he said.
IMiracle’s parent company, Heaven Gifts, previously described how it could help customers evade import fees and taxes. Heaven Gifts’ website advertised “discreet” shipping methods to buyers, including not mentioning e-cigarettes or its company name “anywhere on the package.” Instead, the company said contents would be labeled as “atomizer, coil, tube, etc.”
“We also mark a lower value to avoid tax,” the website stated, adding that customers could suggest their own value for the shipment.
In June, Heaven Gifts announced it would “go offline,” shortly after the FDA directed customs officials to begin seizing shipments from the company.
Despite the update, the company’s spokesman indicated Heaven Gifts remains in business and staffers continue using email accounts bearing its name. The spokesman did not answer numerous follow-up questions about the company’s business.
Neither Heaven Gifts nor iMiracle appear in customs data reviewed by the AP and compiled by ImportGenius, a global trade analytics company.
The seizure announced last week suggests part of the answer: The shipments arrived at Los Angeles International Airport, and air carriers are not required to disclose the same details about their cargo as ocean vessels. The e-cigarettes were mislabeled as toys, shoes and other items.
December 19, 2023
One-Use Vape Batteries Can ‘Recharge’ Many Times
Credit: Chepko Danil
While the lithium-ion batteries in disposable vapes are thrown away after a single use, researchers found that they can continue to perform at high capacity for hundreds of cycles.
The study, published in the journal Joule, was conducted by scientists from University College London (UCL) and the University of Oxford and supported by The Faraday Institution.
“The surprise for us were the results that pointed toward just how long these batteries could potentially cycle, Professor Paul Shearing, of the University of Oxford and UCL, said, according to media reports. “If you use a low charge and discharge rate, you can see that for over 700 cycles, you still have more than 90 percent capacity retention.
“That’s a pretty good battery. And these are just being discarded. They’re being chucked on the side of the road.”
December 14, 2023