Tag: UKVIA

Fantastic Forum: UKVIA Vape Event Starts Sept. 9

The headline sponsor of the UK Vaping Industry Association’s (UKVIA) Vaping Industry Forum and the Vaping Celebration and Awards dinner after the conference has been announced as VPZ, a UK-based independent vape retailer and manufacturer.
The UKVIA organizes both events. VPZ, one of the founding members the UKVIA, is the UK’s largest vaping specialist with over 150 stores throughout the country.
Last year VPZ introduced a national vape clinic service and is now taking this on the road throughout the UK to help more people start their stop smoking journey.
Other sponsors currently include FEELM, the flagship tech brand belonging to SMOORE and the world’s leading closed vape system solution provider; Geek Bar, the leading disposable vape manufacturer in the UK and 1account, an age and identity verification service provider used by some 40 percent of the UK’s online vape retailers, according to a press release.
Official event and media partners of the event include World Vape Show and ECigIntelligence, Vapouround, Vapour magazine, Planet of the Vapes, Vape Business and Vapor Voice.
The UKVIA forum, which is being held at the QEII Centre in Westminster on Friday, Sept. 9th, will cover many of the current dominant issues in the vaping industry, including the regulatory landscape, compliance and enforcement, youth access prevention and the sustainability of the vaping industry.
The findings of the industry’s first ever economic impact report, commissioned by the UKVIA, will also be unveiled at the forum by Owen Good, head of economic advisory at the Centre for Economics and Business Research.
John Dunne
“We are expecting a record turnout as the forum comes at a key time for the industry, in between a government-commissioned independent review by Javed Khan, which highlighted that vaping has a pivotal role to play in making smoking obsolete; and the delivery of a new Tobacco Control Plan which is an opportunity for the government to positively review the vaping regulatory landscape post-Brexit,” said John Dunne, director general for the UKVIA.
The event will also feature an exhibition alongside the conference and an evening dinner where a number of industry recognition awards will be handed out to individuals and organizations that have done the most to promote and progress the vaping sector.
Headline sponsor for the awards dinner is VPZ and the entertainment sponsor is Alternative Nicotine Delivery Solutions (ANDS).
August 25, 2022
‘Current’ Underage Vaping Jumps 3 Percent in U.K.

Photo: Oleg
Current vaping among U.K. children aged 11-17 was up from 4 percent in 2020 to 7 percent in 2022, according to the annual YouGov youth survey for Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) carried out in March and published on July 7. The proportion of children who admit ever having tried vaping has also risen from 14 percent in 2020 to 16 percent in 2022.
Disposable e-cigarettes are now the most used product among current vapers, up more than seven-fold from 7 percent in 2020 and 8 percent in 2021, to 52 percent in 2022. Elf Bar and Geek Bar are overwhelmingly the most popular, with only 30 percent of current users having tried any other brands.
Over the past year there has been growing concern about the increasing popularity of disposable vapes with young people, but this is the first time national figures have been available to show the scale of the change. ASH said the increase in vaping shown by the survey is a cause for concern, and needs close monitoring. However, 92 percent of under 18s who’ve never smoked, have also never vaped, the organization pointed out—and only 2 percent have vaped more frequently than once or twice.
“Just to give it a try” is still the most common reason given by never smokers for using an e-cigarette (65 percent). For young smokers the most common reason for using an e-cigarette was “because I like the flavors” (21 percent) followed by “I enjoy the experience” (18 percent) then “just to give it a try” (15 percent), but they also said, “because I’m trying to quit smoking” (11 percent) or “I use them instead of smoking” (9 percent). Fruit flavors remain the most popular (57 percent).
Vaping behavior is strongly age related, with 10 percent of 11-15 year olds ever having tried vaping, compared to 29 percent of 16 and 17 year olds (the figures for those currently vaping are 4 percent and 14 percent respectively). And while underage vaping has risen, underage smoking is lower than it was in 2020 (14 percent in 2022 compared to 16 percent in 2020).
For the first time this year the survey asked about awareness of promotion of e-cigarettes. Over half (56 percent) of 11-17 year olds reported being aware of e-cigarette promotion, most frequently in shops, or online, with awareness highest amongst those who’d ever vaped (72 percent). Tik Tok was the most frequently cited source of online promotion (45 percent) followed by Instagram (31 percent).
In response to the survey results, the U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) called for a range of get-tough measures to crack down on unscrupulous retailers who sell vapes to young people.
“The UKVIA understands the need for the right balance between supporting adult smokers to quit without encouraging take up amongst under-18s and ‘never-smokers,’” said UKVIA’s Director General John Dunne in a statement.
In a letter to the Department for Health and Social Care, the UKVIA proposed a set of recommendations to come down hard on those who sell vapes to minors while maintaining vaping’s critical role for helping smokers to quit, including fines of £10,000 ($11,897) and a national retail licensing scheme.
July 12, 2022
B2B Vaping Conference to Tackle ‘Big Issues’
The U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) will organize a B2B conference at the QEII Centre in London on Sept. 9.
Among other topics, participants in the Vaping Industry Forum and Exhibition will discuss the challenge of tackling rogue vape traders, preventing underage access to e-cigarettes and creating a sustainable vaping industry.
Entitled “Vaping for a Better Future,” the conference will also look at how the sector can maximize its public health, economic and social impact.
The industry’s first ever economic impact report, conducted by the Centre for Economics & Business Research, will also be unveiled at the event.
Confirmed speakers and panelists include Adam Afriyie MP, vice chair of the Vaping All Party Parliamentary Group; James Lowman, chief executive, Association of Convenience Stores; Pippa Bailey, head of climate change and sustainability practice, IPSOS Mori; Dan Marchant, managing director, VapeClub; Doug Mutter, director, VPZ; and Siyang Yu, global marketing manager, SMOK
The event follows the government-commissioned independent review into tobacco control policies—the Khan Review—which has recommended that vaping feature prominently as a tool to meet England’s smokefree target by 2030.
“This year’s Vaping Industry Forum is set to be the biggest yet,” said John Dunne, director-general of the UKVIA, in a statement. “The conference and exhibition come at a hugely exciting time for the vaping industry following the extremely positive Khan Review which has presented vaping as having a pivotal role in making smoking obsolete. It also comes ahead of the highly anticipated publication of the new Tobacco Control Plan.
“Whilst vaping presents a huge public health, economic and social opportunity for the nation there are a number of challenges that the industry has to face up to. The Khan Review is placing its trust in the vaping industry to play a critical role in its harm reduction strategy, and we’ve got to show that we are a highly responsible industry that can live up to the government’s high expectations.”
July 4, 2022
FEELM Joins U.K. Vaping Awareness Campaign
SMOORE’s flagship atomization tech brand FEELM has signed up to the VApril 2022 consumer awareness campaign to offer specialist smoking-cessation advice to U.K. smokers and encourage them to switch to less harmful alternatives.
Established by the U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA), VApril is the largest campaign worldwide to promote smoking cessation through switchover to vaping.
“Research has shown that vaping increases the likelihood of a successful cigarette quit attempt by 50 percent and is now the U.K.’s most popular way to quit” said John Dunne, director-general of UKVIA.
“However, suspect science and misinformation on vaping are discouraging many smokers from switching to a less harmful alternative. We need to take an evidence-based approach to educate the public about vaping which is what Vapril was designed to do. It is great to see UKVIA member FEELM supporting these events this month.”
During VApril vaping awareness month, FEELM will present the most up-to-date evidence-based vaping facts on social media targeting adult smokers, to help them make the most informed choices.
In April, FEELM teamed up with specialist vape retailer Vapourcore, to give away Core Pro disposable vapes to adult vapers and smokers seeking to switch in London and Manchester. Vapourcore and FEELM jointly introduced this ultra-slim disposable product with ceramic coil in early 2022.
Built to be lightweight and compact, Core Pro is designed specifically for adult smokers looking to switch. It includes a bowl-shaped FEELM ceramic coil with a microporous surface, which increases the surface area in contact with the e-liquid, hence uniform temperatures around the whole coil, lowering the risk of burnt tastes. Moreover, the FEELM ceramic coil features a unique anti-condensation and maze-shaped structure that prevents leakage and spit-back. In 2021, Pro Core won 2021 MUSE Design Award for its technology and design.
“Our aim was to produce a high quality and elegant vaping product for adult smokers and the Core Pro is just this” said Vapourcore CEO Charles Bloom. “Utilizing the FEELM ceramic coil gives the Core Pro a uniquely smooth, flavorsome and very efficient nicotine delivery far superior to other disposables.”

Credit: Smoore
April 25, 2022
U.K.-Based Vape Group to Raise Awareness With ‘VApril’

John Dunne (Photo: UKVIA)
VApril 2022, the annual awareness campaign from the U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) that educates smokers on vaping, opened with a vaping masterclass session with experts from the vaping industry, stop-smoking services and healthcare.
For the first time, this year, the UKVIA is running a promotional campaign on social media, including an animated five-step guide to transitioning successfully from smoking to vaping; a video featuring the life-changing experience of a former smoker turned vaper; and a video of Anita Sharma addressing common concerns of smokers who are considering switching to vaping to help them quit their smoking habits.
The month will also see publication of research on the level and quality of advice that is being provided to adult smokers when considering a switch to vaping.
“We know from Public Health England that vaping is at least 95 percent less harmful than smoking, and the last 18 months has seen a massive groundswell of support from the medical and political worlds underlining how vital vaping is toward helping people to quit smoking and the overall health of the nation,” said John Dunne, director general of the UKVIA, in a statement.
“We are steadfast and determined in our mission and resolve to give smokers a real choice, underpinned by VApril 2022 and the huge support we receive from vape retail stores and other businesses across the U.K. as well as vape associations across the world.”
April 6, 2022
U.K. Review of TRPR Finds Vaping Helps to Stop Smoking
The UK’s Department for Health and Social Care’s (DHSC) review into the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations (TRPR) laws which govern sales of nicotine products found that existing TRPR regulations “met their original objectives” and that they “could not be better achieved through alternative regulatory measures.”
The UK government has set itself a target of reducing the amount of UK smokers to just 5 percent of the population in the next eight years with the TRPR and other developments, such as the yet to be published Tobacco Control Plan (TCP), set to play a major role in helping to realize that ambition.
The DHSC’s view, published March 25, states the government believes in proportionate regulation of e-cigarettes, recognizing that they are not risk free. However, e-cigarettes and vaping products have been an effective tool to stop combustible cigarette smoking. Youth use is very limited, the report found.
“The current regulatory framework in TRPR aims to reduce the risk of harm to children, protect against renormalization of tobacco use, provide assurance on relative safety for users, and provide legal certainty for businesses,” the review states. “We know that a small proportion of children are experimenting with e-cigarettes, but regular child use remains consistently low in England.”
In response to the review, John Dunne, director general of the UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA), said that at first glance the response appears to be “status quo” and a win for the UK’s vaping sector as the review clearly states the positive impact that vaping can have in helping people to quit smoking.
“We have to remember this is only a review of all points made and some initial positions the government is taking; our hope now is that those proposals and recommendations are carried forward and manifested in the Tobacco Control Plan.” – John Dunne
“As part of the TRPR consultation we submitted a whole raft of proposals aimed at creating a better commercial and regulatory environment to make it easier for the industry to help people trying to give up smoking and it is good to see those acknowledged,” Dunne stated in a release.
The UKVIA, which promotes vaping as a less harmful alternative to smoking and its significant impact in helping smokers quit, as well as dispelling the misinformation on vaping that exists, submitted a landmark package of recommendations to the TRPR consultation, including:

The use of Government-approved expert health claims on products to address misinformation leading to misperceptions on vaping, and therefore encourage smokers to switch

Greater opportunities to engage with smokers, as current regulations restrict vaping’s ability to provide smokers with evidence-based knowledge to make informed decisions when looking to quit

The extension of certain regulations to cover additional vaping products, such as non-nicotine e-liquids, thereby ensuring a highly responsible and safe industry.
“What this tells me is that the industry is doing its job in bringing to the fore some of the things that have been holding back vaping’s ability to support the Government’s smokefree targets to full effect,” continued Dunne. “We have to remember this is only a review of all points made and some initial positions the government is taking; our hope now is that those proposals and recommendations are carried forward and manifested in the Tobacco Control Plan.”
March 26, 2022
UKVIA Anticipates Busy Year for the Vaping Sector
The U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) anticipates a busy year for the sector, the industry group noted at the publication of its 2021 annual report.
Among other activities, the association looks forward to launching its first Economic Impact Report, which will be used to highlight the vaping industry’s significant contribution to the British economy and support engagement with policy makers and the media.
The UKVIA also plans to roll out of a levelling-up campaign designed to achieve recognition for the important role that vaping plays in reducing health inequalities across the U.K.
In addition, the group intends to build on the launch this year of the UKVIA’s healthcare campaign which has included the development of a dedicated online advice hub for healthcare professionals and patients with smoking conditions.
This year will also witness the conclusion of the review of the U.K. Tobacco & Related Products Regulations, which will shape the future of the industry for years to come, according to the UKVIA.
Coinciding with the UKVIA’s annual vaping industry forum, planned for June 2022, the group plans a new awards event to recognize the high standards within the industry.

January 29, 2022
Industry up in Arms Over Anti-Vaping Report

Photo: deagreez
The U.K. Vaping Industry Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) has labeled an anti-vaping report in The Lancet “incredulous, laughable, untrue and extremely worrying.”
The authors of The Lancet article contest the suggestion that e-cigarettes are safer than conventional cigarettes. The U.K. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency recently announced plans to allow healthcare providers to prescribe medicinally licensed e-cigarettes for smoking cessation, they write, could prove as harmful as the endorsement of tobacco by physicians between 1920 and 1950.
“We have the greatest respect for the medical profession but for one of its leading journals to carry an article which states that there is no robust evidence to show that vaping has accelerated smoking cessation is quite unbelievable and completely untrue,” said John Dunne, director general of the UKVIA, in a statement.
“Worryingly this isn’t just an article questioning the clinical evidence basis for vaping as a harm reduction tool. Everything about it smacks of anti-vaping propaganda starting with the suggestion that the market is all the making of tobacco companies to line their pockets. This is an insult to all the independent companies across the U.K. and globally who make up the vast majority of the players in the sector and who have not just contributed positively to public health by helping 2.4 million former smokers in the U.K. completely quit their habits but have created huge numbers of jobs at the same time and one of the fastest growing industry’s this century, thereby making a massive contribution to our economy. Our membership is testament to this—out of our nearly 100 members, some 95 percent have no affiliation to tobacco companies.
“Such a highly respected journal as The Lancet should know better when running articles and look at all the evidence that is available and opinions across the healthcare spectrum. Instead, the report which is carried completely ignores research which has clearly shown on more than one occasion vaping to have a hugely positive impact on smoking cessation, and significantly more so than NRTs.

For one of its leading journals to carry an article which states that there is no robust evidence to show that vaping has accelerated smoking cessation is quite unbelievable and completely untrue.
John Dunne, director general, UKVIA
“The article’s assertion that the pro-vaping stance of Public Health England contradicts the rest of the world is nothing short of laughable, choosing to ignore the positions of the likes of Cancer Research UK—which says on its website that there is no good evidence that vaping causes cancer—and the Royal College of Physicians who have both publicly recognized the harm reduction opportunity that vaping offers over smoking. The report also ignores large scale research which backs up the public health potential of e-cigarettes, such as the study produced by the British Heart Foundation and the University of Dundee which suggested that vaping may be less harmful to blood vessels than smoking cigarettes.
“It’s these types of one-sided and misleading articles that leave smokers and vapers confused and questioning the health benefits of vaping versus smoking, leading to them either continuing with or returning to smoking. But, whilst we’re not getting data from hospitals and doctors suggesting that we should be worried about the effects of vaping—and, let’s face it, we would have heard by now given vape products have been available in this country for more than a decade, what is undeniable is that smoking kills—some 78,000 people a year to be exact—and the very death toll that vaping is helping to address. Instead, the report in The Lancet blames the U.K. government for its pro-vaping stance and highlights that they are in danger of presiding over what will be the biggest public health disaster in U.K. history.
“As a responsible industry, we’re more than up for continued independent clinical research into the long term impact of vaping, to prove once and for all that vaping is the biggest public health prize seen this century.”
December 23, 2021
UKVIA Director General to Appear on China National TV

John Dunne (Photo: UKVIA)
The U.K. Vaping Industry Association’s (UKVIA) director general has been invited to talk on national TV in China to give his thoughts on recent proposed regulation changes in China and their potential impact on the Chinese vaping industry both domestically and globally.
China recently amended its tobacco laws to include e-cigarettes, meaning they will now be regulated like conventional tobacco products.
The regulation of e-cigarettes in China is of critical importance to the international vaping industry because over 95 percent of e-cigarette hardware is manufactured in that country, leaving the sector keen to see whether this latest regulation change will reshape that global industry.
To look at these questions, John Dunne will be interviewed on the China Global Television Network to offer his perspective based on many years immersed in both U.K. and international regulatory environments for the vaping sector.
Speaking ahead of his interview, Dunne described “reasonable regulation” as a “good thing,” adding, “However, while regulation has the ability to raise standards, ensure products are safe for consumers and restrict minors access, in its current form, it could have a massive detrimental influence both domestically and internationally.”
The UKVIA, together with several other organizations, has outlined its concerns and suggestions to make the regulation more effective and less restrictive in a letter that is being submitted to the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration to consider.
During the interview, Dunne will also get the chance to speak to the Chinese media about the latest vaping developments in the U.K., such as it being potentially the first country in the world to prescribe e-cigarettes.
“We know here in the U.K. that what kills people is the combustion and the tar and not nicotine,” he said in a statement. “Our government sees vaping as the solution to a smoking problem and not the problem itself.”
He added, “I hope the Chinese government and STMA [State Tobacco Monopoly Administration] are open to listening to the industry leaders both domestically and internationally to help shape these regulations so that China can, like the U.K., seize the public heath prize that vaping offers without damaging a very large and vital export business.”
December 20, 2021
U.K. Vaping Hits Record High as Tobacco Smoking Drops

Photo: Rain
The number of people who vape in the U.K. has risen to its highest level since records began while the number of U.K. adults who smoke has fallen below 14 percent for the first time in years, according to just released government figures.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has published its annual report into smoking prevalence in the U.K., which includes figures on the number of adults who vape, just one month after the Department of Health’s announcement that vaping devices could soon be prescribed to smokers through the National Health Service.
In 2014, when data on the number of U.K. vapers started being collected, 3.7 percent of the population reported using e-cigarettes. In 2020, that had risen to 6.4 percent, equivalent to around 3.3 million people.
The report also reveals that the number of adult smokers in the U.K. currently stands at 13.8 percent of the population—its lowest percentage since at least 2015.
“This is a hugely welcome announcement as everyone on the side of harm reduction knows that vaping is far less harmful than smoking—by as much as 95 percent, according to the former health protection watchdog Public Health England [now part of the U.K. Health Security Agency]—so more people vaping and less smoking can only be cause for celebration,” said John Dunne, director-general of the U.K. Vaping Industry Association, in a statement.

This is a hugely welcome announcement as everyone on the side of harm reduction knows that vaping is far less harmful than smoking.
John Dunne, director-general, UKVIA
The ONS Smoking Prevalence Report highlighted that the number of ex-smokers who now vape had risen from 11.7 percent in 2019 to 12.3 percent while the number of smokers who also vape increased from 15.5 percent in 2019 to 17.8 percent in 2020.
However, according to the ONS monthly data, smoking rates rose sharply during the pandemic and national lockdown to a peak of 16.3 percent in August before slowly decreasing to 13.8 percent by the end of 2020.
“While this rise in smoking prevalence during lockdown could be attributed to increased anxiety because of the pandemic, I would also point toward the fact that specialty vape shops were not granted ‘essential retail’ status and therefore had to close their doors as another significant contributing factor,” said Dunne.
December 9, 2021