UKVIA - Tobacco Reporter

UKVIA Marks 100th Member

The U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) has welcomed its 100th member, Haypp Group.

The Swedish company is a market leader in the tobacco-free nicotine pouch e-commerce sector and has now expanded into the vape market by adding this new segment to the range of products on its Haypp.com website last year, according to a UKVIA press release.

“As a responsible market leader in the online nicotine space, we want to fully participate with the industry, and joining the UKVIA is an obvious and logical decision,” said Markus Lindblad, Haypp’s head of external affairs.

“We take extra responsibility as a market leader to support the rights of smokers to access better nicotine alternatives and to stand up for them in public debates and be their voice in front of regulators, the media and other stakeholders.

“We joined the British-Swedish Chamber of Commerce when we started operating in the U.K., and now that we have included vape products to our platform, our UKVIA membership will allow us to better contribute to our industry and the wider society that it serves.”

“This is a milestone for the organization, and I am delighted to welcome a company as impressive as Haypp to the UKVIA as our 100th member,” said UKVIA Director General John Dunne.

“This sends an important message to regulators that the UKVIA is a serious organization, made up of serious players who want to act in a responsible way to further technological advances within the industry. This is also our first member to have a suite of reduced-risk products to help adult smokers make the switch from smoking.”

April 5, 2023

Call for Action Against Noncompliant Vapes

The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) has called for stronger actions against noncompliant vape products in the U.K., reports Convenience Store.

Stating that the rise in noncompliant products is “getting out of hand,” the CTSI has asked for “clearer direction from government” and greater resources to fight the noncompliant trade.

The CTSI has also suggested that manufacturers publish batch numbers of noncompliant products and introduce restrictions to stop youth vaping, including prohibiting cartoon characters or light-up vapes, restrictions on packaging colors and the promotion of vapes on social media platforms such as TikTok. The group also suggested looking at where the products are positioned in stores and increasing the sanctions available for those producers, suppliers retailers who don’t comply with the law.

Vaping industry representatives applauded the CTSI’s position. “We share the CTSI’s concern over the growth in illicit and underage vape product sales and fully support their call for more resources,” the U.K. Vaping Industry Association said in a statement.

“We also agree wholeheartedly that restrictions need to be explored to address youth vaping without impacting on adult smokers who wish to switch to vaping in order to quit their habits.

“That’s why we are leading the way in forming a Youth Access Prevention Taskforce to develop detailed proposals to deal with the situation, and these include on-the-spot fines of up to £10,000 ($12,176.32) per instance for retailers who are found to be selling to minors and for selling illicit products; a national registration scheme for all retailers, meaning only those outlets that meet qualifying criteria can legally sell vapes; and a national test purchasing scheme that will ensure constant monitoring of retailers’ selling vapes to ensure that they are not turning a blind eye to purchases involving minors.

“Critical to the success of our proposals will be a ramping up of enforcement, and this requires major funding in resources on the ground.

“By Trading Standards’ own admission, resources are sadly lacking, and the government needs to step in and look at this situation as a matter of urgency. Our proposals are designed to support this funding need as monies will be raised from the fines and registration scheme.

“We will be presenting our proposals to government and parliamentarians at the end of March.”

March 13, 2023

Youth Protection Guidelines Updated

The U.K. Vaping Industry Association has updated its guide to retailers on preventing underage sales.

UKVIA Director General John Dunne said tackling the sale of vaping products to minors was “one of the most fundamental challenges facing the industry.”

The UKVIA is making its “Preventing Underage Sales Guide” freely available via its website.

The 20-page guide has been developed in partnership with the association’s Primary Authority Partners, Buckinghamshire and Surrey and Trading Standards.

Dunne said: “The entire UKVIA membership is united behind the message that we must do all in our power to stop underage sales.

“This is one battle that we simply have to win, but we need the support of government, regulators and enforcement authorities in order to do so.

“Our underage sales guide will give retailers all the information they need so that they don’t inadvertently sell to someone under 18.

“Policymakers, politicians and consumers must have confidence that the vaping industry is a responsible sector, and this will be undermined if businesses do not implement and uphold robust age verification processes.

“The guide gives clear advice on how to implement a ‘Challenge 25’ policy and why it is important that anyone who appears to be younger than 25 should be asked to provide ID.”

February 28, 2023

Elf Bar Comments on E-Liquid Controversy

After U.K. retailers announced they would remove Elf Bar 600 products from shelves due to illegal levels of e-liquid, Elf Bar called a meeting with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Elf Bar subsequently released a statement regarding the controversy.

“Recent press reports alleged questions around the compliance of the Elf Bar 600 on the U.K. market,” a company press release stated. “Subsequent to these allegations, we immediately initiated a full investigation of the Elf Bar 600 in the U.K. market and have found that some products exceeded the permitted e-liquid fill level. Although this issue means the products are not compliant in full with U.K. regulations, we did not find any issues with nicotine strength or anything that might mean the products’ safety is compromised in any way.

“MHRA indicated that their recommendation is for the product to be withdrawn from the market.

“We agree with this recommendation and will voluntarily carry out a withdrawal of noncompliant Elf Bar 600s from the U.K. market. We will be assisted in ensuring the withdrawal is carried out effectively, and without causing any unnecessary market disruption, by a Trading Standards Primary Authority. We will update all of our distribution and retail partners when we have agreed how this corrective action will be enacted.

“Although the investigation and definition of corrective actions for the Elf Bar 600 has been undertaking, we have also committed to investigate all other vape products that we export to the U.K. We will take any actions we deem to be required to ensure compliance across our entire product set.”

Elf Bar was joined by the U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) and the IBVTA in the meeting.

“Although Elf Bar is not a member of the UKVIA, as the industry’s lead trade association, it was key that we were present at such a critical meeting to represent the interests of all businesses in the sector impacted by this highly regrettable situation,” the UKVIA said in a statement. “The decision by Elf Bar to voluntarily withdraw its noncompliant products, recently highlighted in the media, is absolutely the right one.

“If the industry is going to be accepted as playing a leading role in helping Britain achieve its smoke-free targets, it has to demonstrate the highest levels of compliance, standards and responsibility, which the UKVIA expects.”

February 13, 2023

UKVIA Publishes Annual Report

The U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) has published its 2022 annual report.

Among the highlights of 2022 was the launch of the UKVIA-commissioned Economic Impact Report from the Centre for Economics and Business Research, which—for the first time—detailed the national and regional contribution that the U.K. vape industry made to the economy, according to the UKVIA.

“Our industry is under scrutiny like never before, and we must tackle the big issues, such as underage vaping, the environmental impact of disposable devices and the massive influx of fake and illegal imports,” said John Dunne, director general of the UKVIA. “Any one of these issues has the potential to see regulators clamp down hard on vaping, and the fact that they are all happening at once demonstrates that it is crucial that we get our house in order without delay.”

January 26, 2023

Call for Innovation to Facilitate Recycling

The U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) is calling upon its members and the wider industry to innovate products that make them easier to recycle for the waste management sector.

The move comes as pressure mounts to ban single-use disposable devices.

On Jan. 3, upmarket supermarket chain Waitrose announced a complete withdrawal from the single use vapes market. “Selling single use vapes is not something we could justify given the impact on both the environment and the health of young people,” said Commercial Director Charlotte Di Cello.

While environmental campaigners applauded the move, vaping advocates said Waitrose could do more to protect both public health and the planet by instead refusing to sell combustible cigarettes, which are the world’s most littered item.

Just five days later, Scottish Ph.D. student Laura Young made national headlines in the U.K. when a video she posted on Twitter of her collecting 55 discarded disposable vapes while out walking her dog went viral.

Young, who goes by the Twitter handle @LessWasteLaura, gained public support when she posted two more follow-up posts and called for single-use vapes to be banned.

Following the publicity surrounding her anti-disposable campaign, the Scottish government said it was “considering the emerging issues around single-use disposable vapes’ and urged consumers to dispose of them responsibly.”

“We are working to find a waste management solution that minimizes the impact of vapes on the environment so they are seen for what they do best—helping adult smokers kick their habits.”

John Dunne, director-general, UKVIA

According to the UKVIA, as campaigns like this gain traction, it may be only a matter of time before regulators decide to look closer at the disposable sector of the vape market.

UKVIA Director-General John Dunne said that while the vaping industry recognizes its responsibilities to the environment, the recycling of vapes requires collaboration between adult vapers, retailers, manufacturers, the regulators and companies in the waste management sector, which are involved in the current producer compliance schemes under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) regulations.

“Up to now, there has been genuine confusion amongst the vaping sector about their responsibilities under the WEEE directive,” said Dunne in a statement. “Earlier this year, the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment alluded to uncertainty around whether regulations covered the type of batteries found in vapes and also questioned the recycling infrastructure in place to support the sector to be more sustainable.

“This is why we are working hard as an industry to find a waste management solution that minimizes the impact of vapes on the environment, particularly when it comes to single-use disposables, so they are seen for what they do best—helping adult smokers kick their habits and save the lives of millions as well as millions of pounds for the health service.”

January 16, 2023

U.K. Smoking Levels at All Time Low

U.K. smoking levels have fallen to just 13.3 percent—the lowest since records began—according to new government data that says vaping played a “major role” in the decline.

The latest data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) shows that the smoking rate for 2021 is down from the previous low of 14 percent in 2020, which means that there are around 6.6 million smokers in the U.K.

The ONS said this was the lowest proportion of current smokers since records started in 2011, based on estimates from the Annual Population Survey.

The report said: “Vaping devices such as e-cigarettes have played a major role in the decrease in smoking prevalence in the U.K.

“In this bulletin, we have reported an increase in e-cigarette use, and organizations such as Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) have reported similar increases in e-cigarettes (vapes) usage among adults in Great Britain.”

In the U.K. as a whole, 15.1 percent of men and 11.5 percent of women smoked, a trend that has been consistent since 2011.

The 25–34 age group had the highest proportion of current smokers (15.8 percent) while those aged 65 and over came in lowest (8 percent).

People without qualifications were more likely to be current smokers (28.2 percent) than those whose highest level of education was a degree or equivalent (6.6 percent).

Among respondents to the ONS survey, 7.7 percent said they currently used an e-cigarette daily or occasionally.

According to the authors, this equates to around 4 million adults in the population, an increase on the estimate from 2020, when 6.4 percent of people reported daily or occasional e-cigarette use.

“This is absolutely fantastic news, and I am delighted that the U.K.’s vaping industry is playing its part in making this happen.”

John Dunne, director general, UKVIA

Tobacco harm reduction advocates were elated by the decline in smoking. “This is absolutely fantastic news, and I am delighted that the U.K.’s vaping industry is playing its part in making this happen,” said John Dunne, director general of the U.K. Vaping Industry Association, in a statement.

“The government must now redouble its efforts to ensure that it gets its 2030 smoke-free ambitions back on track so that smoking can finally be consigned to history.”

Dunne said stakeholders should capitalize on the momentum by reaching out to remaining smokers and giving them the facts that they need to make the switch to vaping. “We must allow vape companies to use agreed health claims and switching messages to encourage adult smokers to switch to e-cigarettes and make full use of the different methods of communication available to the government and public health bodies,” he said.

December 7, 2022

Vape Group Denounces EU Vape Tax Proposal

The World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA) has denounced the EU’s leaked plan to increase vaping taxes, according to the U.K. Vaping Industry Association.

“The [EU] Commission claims that higher taxes will improve public health, but the reality is the exact opposite,” said WVA Director Michael Landl. “A less harmful alternative, such as vaping, must be affordable for ordinary smokers trying to quit cigarettes. If the commission wants to reduce the burden of smoking on public health, they must make vaping more affordable and accessible, not less.

“High taxes hit the least advantaged people most. In times of multiple crises and people struggling to make ends meet, making vaping more expensive is the opposite of what we need. Policymakers must understand that tax increases on vaping will force people back to smoking or the black market, a scenario nobody wants. In times of crisis, people shouldn’t be further punished by an unscientific and ideological fight against vaping. This must be stopped,” said Landl.

“Rather than fighting vaping, the EU finally must embrace tobacco harm reduction. What we need is risk-based regulation. Vaping is 95 percent less harmful than smoking and, therefore, must not be treated the same way as conventional smoking,” added Landl.

November 29, 2022

Vape Sector Boosts U.K. Economy: Report

The vape industry has had a considerable positive impact on the U.K. economy, according to a new report compiled by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) on behalf of the U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA).

Valued at £2.8 billion ($3.36 billion) in 2021, the U.K. vape sector supports almost 18,000 full-time-equivalent jobs in retail, manufacturing and supply chain. What’s more, smokers abandoning cigarettes in favor of less harmful e-cigarettes have saved the National Health Service (NHS) more than £300 million in 2019 alone, according to the report.

Even as many businesses suffered in recent years, vape retail stores have bucked the trend and represent one of the biggest growing sectors since the first decade of the 21st century when they started to appear for the first time.

From 2017 to 2021, the U.K. vape sector’s turnover grew by 23.4 percent to £1.33 billion last year alone. When indirect economic benefits such as supply chain support and the spending power of vape sector workers is factored in, the economic impact more than doubles.

In 2021, the vaping industry paid £310 million in taxes to the British exchequer.

CEBR estimates that the vaping sector saved the U.K. £322 million in smoking-related healthcare costs in 2019. The research organization reckons that if 50 percent of smokers switched to vaping, the potential healthcare savings would have been £698 million in 2020.

Meanwhile, the gain in economic productivity associated with smokers switching to using vaping products was estimated to be £1.3 billion in 2019. If 50 percent of remaining U.K. smokers switched to vaping, this would increase to £3.33 billion, according to the study.

“In little over a decade, vaping in the U.K. has grown from very much a ‘cottage industry’ to one of the fastest growing sectors in not just retail but the whole economy.”

John Dunne, director general, UKVIA

“The findings of the vaping industry’s first ever economic impact report demonstrates its significant success as a fast-growing disruptive sector,” says Owen Good, head of economic advisory at CEBR.

“Whilst many high street retailers have suffered in recent years, the vaping sector has bucked the trend, with significant growth both in-store and online. Even the effects of the pandemic have not significantly hampered the sector’s growth.

“The sector’s growth has been hugely beneficial to the U.K. economy; businesses and their employees directly involved in the industry and those running operations across the wider supply chain; and the NHS, which has seen a massive cost saving with increasing numbers of smokers switching to vaping in order to quit their habits.”

“In little over a decade, vaping in the U.K. has grown from very much a ‘cottage industry’ to one of the fastest growing sectors in not just retail but the whole economy,” said UKVIA Director General John Dunne in a statement.

“More people than ever are vaping, and by all measures, this is a true British success story, creating employment and wealth, generating precious revenue for the government through taxation while at the same time saving the NHS more than £300 million a year through people switching from smoking to vaping.”

November 29, 2022

New Date for UKVIA Forum and Dinner

The UKVIA Vaping Industry Forum and Celebration Dinner will now take place on Friday, Nov. 18 at the QEII Centre in Westminster, London. The event had been canceled on Sept. 9, the day after the queen’s passing.

The agenda remains the same, and the UKVIA expects some additional speakers to be part of the lineup.

“We have had a fantastic response since the event was canceled, and we are looking to accommodate some additional speakers in our program,” said UKVIA Director General John Dunne in a statement. “We would like to thank delegates, sponsors, exhibitors and dinner guests for their patience, and we look forward to seeing everyone in November at what will be the biggest B2B event in the U.K. vaping calendar.

“The occasion will be particularly poignant as the original planned forum and dinner came the day after the announcement of the queen’s death. The event will allow us to pay tribute to Britain’s longest reigning monarch.”

While the original event had been at near full capacity, more tickets for the conference and dinner have now been released.

October 5, 2022

Tag: UKVIA