Category: Featured

French Vaping Association Joins IEVA

Photo: pavlofox
The French Vaping Association FIVAPE has joined the Independent European Vape Alliance (IEVA). IEVA now brings together eleven national associations from Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Spain as well as 13 international corporations in the e-cigarette industry.
“FIVAPE has been at the forefront of responsibility and regulation in the vaping sector, and we believe we can amplify the voice of French vape businesses within IEVA,” said Jean Moiroud, president of FIVAPE, in a statement. “We hope to tackle our industry’s future challenges together.”
“We are delighted that FIVAPE has decided to support the work of IEVA,” said Dustin Dahlmann, president of IEVA. “The French vaping industry is one of the largest and most successful in Europe. We very much look forward to working closely with FIVAPE on ensuring robust yet proportionate regulation for our sector.”
December 23, 2021
Ex-WHO Official Calls for Inquiry Into UN Body

Photo: Alexey Novikov
Robert Beaglehole, former director of the Department of Chronic Diseases and Health Promotion at the World Health Organization, has called for an independent inquiry into the global health body’s leadership’s reluctance to explore all option for reducing the health toll of smoking, according to an article written by Martin Cullip, international fellow of the Taxpayer Protection Alliance’s Consumer Center.
Speaking during the recent E-Cigarette Summit in London, Beaglehole said the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control failed to achieve success is because of the WHO’s unrealistic drive for nicotine abstinence and a resistance to less harmful products. He also criticized the FCTC’s obsession with youth vaping to the detriment of making alternatives available for adults who smoke.
Beaglehole took issue also with the WHO’s reliance on funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies, which he sees as driving the WHO in the wrong direction due to Michael Bloomberg’s personal prohibitionist ideology towards vaping and nicotine use.
The professor noted that wherever the WHO’s had implemented its MPOWER initiative, smoking rates have either risen or declined very slowly, while in countries that have embraced harm reduction, smoking prevalence has declined, often quite dramatically.
Beaglehole said the WHO should lead, not obstruct, harm reduction strategies, noting that the WHO promotes harm reduction in realms such as illicit drug use and HIV/AIDS. Countries, he added, should be encouraged to adopt targets according to science-based recommendations, rather than ideology
He said parties to the treaty should take advantage of the upcoming director-general election in May 2022 to question incumbent Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus about his organization’s approach to tobacco control.
December 21, 2021
Paper Market to Hit $1.3 Billion by 2026

Photo: Delfort
The global market for tobacco papers will reach a value of $1.3 billion by 2026, representing a compound annual growth rate of 3.5 percent, according to a new study published by Facts and Factors.
The authors expect growth to be driven in part by demand for environmentally tobacco papers, with new products made from fruits and vegetable pulps as well as cultivated cotton. Regionally, growth will be strongest in the Asia Pacific region, according to the report.
The study covers major suppliers such as Bukit Muria Jaya, Glatz Feinpapiere, Schweitzer-Mauduit International and Delfort Group.
It also provides information on subsegments such as plug wrap, rolling paper, tipping base paper and cigarette tissue, along with data on materials such as rice straw, flax, wood pulp, sisal, hemp and esparto.
Facts & Factors is a market research organization offering industry expertise and consulting services.
December 21, 2021
Vuse Wins Sustainable Product Award

Photo: BAT
The Vuse e-cigarette brand has won the Sustainable Product Award in the 2021 SEAL (Sustainability, Environmental Achievement and Leadership) Business Sustainability Awards. The award recognizes innovative and impactful products that are “purpose-built for a sustainable future.”

The SEAL Awards celebrate leadership through business sustainability and environmental journalism awards.

“We are honored to receive this SEAL Sustainable Product Award for our Vuse vapor brand,” said Kingsley Wheaton, BAT’s chief marketing officer, in statement.
“At BAT, we are creating the brands of the future with sustainability at their core. In 2021, Vuse was certified as the first global carbon neutral vape brand. This is part of Vuse’s broader sustainability program, which aims to eliminate single-use plastics and have all packaging recyclable by 2025.

“We are proud that Vuse has set the sustainability standard within the vaping category.”
December 21, 2021
Muharram Bek Suspends Production

Photo: Hassan
Eastern Co. has suspended production at its Muharram Bek cigarette factory until it has calculated its requirements, reports Zawya, citing a statement filed to the Egyptian Exchange.
Recent improvements to the work system have resulted in higher manufacturing efficiencies and, thus, surplus production.
Inventory has grown beyond Eastern Co.’s required levels from seven to 15 days. The Muharram Bek factory accounts for 3 percent to 5 percent of Eastern Co.’s total production volume.
Eastern Co.’s portfolio includes cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco and molasses tobacco, as well as filter rods and homogenized tobacco.
December 21, 2021
VaporBeast Exempted from E-Cig Mail Ban

Photo: Lost_in_the_Midwest
Turning Point Brands has received a United States Postal Service (USPS) exemption to ship vapor products to thousands of age-restricted vape shops across the United States through VaporBeast and other websites.
“We remain focused on providing a positive experience for our customers,” said Marc Waxman, president of NewGen at Turning Point Brands, in a statement.
“As one of the first to apply for and receive an exemption from the USPS, we are now able to increase the number of shipping options we offer our customers. This will allow for optimized order processing, more accurate tracking data and faster overall shipping times. Our network of delivery choices is expanding every week to cover shipments to more and more businesses and adult consumers.”
In late December, former U.S. President Donald Trump signed into law a $2.3 trillion coronavirus relief and government funding bill that contains a provision banning the USPS from delivering vapor products. The USPS was already prohibited from delivering cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products to consumers under the PACT Act. The law passed in December extends the Act’s original definition of “cigarette” to include electronic nicotine delivery systems.
The USPS ban on mailing vapor products took effect Oct. 20.
December 21, 2021
Group Calls for Risk-Proportionate Rules

Photo: Balint Radu
The Malaysian Vape Chamber of Commerce (MVCC) has urged to government to introduce risk-proportionate taxes and regulations for e-cigarettes and combustible cigarettes, reports The New Straits Times.
Recently, the government of Malaysia announced a 200 percent tax hike for vape products, to be implemented at MYR1.20 per ml for nicotine e-liquids and non-nicotine e-liquids.
Industry players feel that the taxation rate is too high and will negatively impact the industry. They are likely to pass on the cost to consumers.
“Manufacturers have no choice but to increase the price of their products as the tax rate imposed is equivalent to the current retail price of vape products,” said MVCC Head of Information Ashraf Rozali. “For example, each 30ml bottle of e-liquid will be taxed at MYR36.”
“With this rate, the estimated retail price of vape e-liquids will reach twice the current price per 30ml bottle. Therefore, the new tax rate will not only affect one party but will impact the entire ecosystem, including adding burden on consumers,” Ashraf said.
At the same time, the government has also announced recently that a regulatory framework for tobacco and vape products will be tabled next year.
Any regulations introduced must include elements that can encourage smokers to switch to less harmful products such as e-cigarettes, said Ashraf. He called on the public to sign a petition calling for risk proportionate regulation.
December 20, 2021
Report: Flavored Vapes Remain Widely Available

Photo: kurgu128
Three months after a court-ordered deadline for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to decide what e-cigarette products can stay on the market, FDA delays have left e-cigarettes in kid-friendly flavors widely available across the country, according to a new report released by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK).
Under a federal court order, e-cigarette manufacturers were required to submit marketing applications to the FDA by Sept. 9, 2020, and products that were the subject of timely applications were allowed to stay on the market for up to one year while the FDA reviewed the applications, a period that expired Sept. 9, 2021. The CTFK and other public health groups have urged the FDA to deny marketing applications for all flavored e-cigarettes because of “the clear evidence that flavored products have fueled an epidemic of youth e-cigarette use and nicotine addiction.”
The FDA has denied marketing applications for more than 1 million flavored e-cigarette products. However, the FDA has yet to issue decisions about the e-cigarette brands that have the largest market share or are most popular with kids, such as Juul, most Vuse products, NJOY, Blu, Smok and Suorin.
The FDA is also considering whether to authorize any menthol-flavored e-cigarettes despite the popularity of menthol products with kids, according to the CTFK.
In addition, more than 40 e-cigarette companies have filed lawsuits challenging the FDA’s marketing denial orders, and other companies—including Puff Bar, the flavored disposable e-cigarette that is now the most popular brand among kids—have started using synthetic nicotine because that substance is currently not regulated by the agency.
To assess the impact of the FDA’s actions to date on the availability of flavored e-cigarettes, the CTFK scanned five top online e-cigarette retailers and 43 brick-and-mortar stores in eight cities across the U.S. The group notes that the scan provides a snapshot of the current e-cigarette market and is not intended to be a representative sample of stores nationwide or online.
Key findings include that kid-friendly flavored e-cigarettes and nicotine e-liquids are still widely available; that the bestselling e-cigarette brands remain available for purchase; and that the most popular e-cigarette brands among youth are still available in flavors that appeal to youth, according to the CTFK.
The group has called on the FDA to act quickly on all remaining e-cigarette applications and deny authorization to all flavored e-cigarettes, including menthol-flavored products.
December 20, 2021
UKVIA Director General to Appear on China 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
Belarusian Cigarette Smuggling at New High

Photo: Tricky Shark
The number of Belarusian cigarettes smuggled through Lithuania is growing at a record pace, reports Belsat, citing figures from Lithuania’s Customs Department.
In the first three quarters of 2021, Lithuanian law enforcement officers seized 328 million smuggled cigarettes, compared to 297 million in 2020.
This year, 16.7 million cigarettes were seized on the railroad alone, twice as many as last year. Cigarettes were usually hidden in bulk cargoes, among fertilizers and crushed stone. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that there is no X-ray equipment at some stations.
Illegal cigarettes account for a quarter of the cigarette market in Lithuania. Of all smuggled cigarettes, 84 percent were produced in Belarus.
Belarus’ state-owned Neman factory has been fingered as a major source of illicit cigarettes in the EU. Around 10 percent of the 5.5 billion cigarettes sold illegally in the U.K. annually are believed to have originated in Belarus.
In September, British American Tobacco in suspended the contract manufacturing of its brands at Neman, following international criticism for Belarus’ heavy-handed suppression of protests against the outcome of last year’s disputed presidential elections.
Accounting for 70 percent of domestic cigarette sales, Neman effectively has a monopoly on the Belarusian tobacco market. Washington says it is one of several entities that receive preferential treatment from the regime in return for providing funds to Lukashenko.
December 20, 2021