UK E-Cigarette Ironheads That Can Mouth Pearls

November 17, 2023

Even after the UK indoor smoking ban came into force in 2007, the smell of cigarettes was never far away. It wafts through pub gardens and lingers outside the workplace. Today, you're almost as likely to inhale a "refreshing, mellow" fruity e-cigarette flavour like blueberry, lemon or watermelon.

Almost one in ten Britons now use e-cigarettes regularly or occasionally. On current trends (see chart), vaping e-cigarettes will be more common than smoking by the mid-2020s. But many in the industry fear that a government consultation due to close in December will lead to a regulatory crackdown.

Catering for Britain's 4.7 million vapers is increasingly becoming big business. A report for the industry by the Centre for Business and Economic Research, a think tank, said it would have a turnover of £2.8bn ($3.4bn) in 2021 and calculated that the industry provides nearly 18,000 jobs. Since then, the number of vapers has increased by almost a third.

According to research firm Local Data Company, there are now nearly 3,500 vape outlets across the country. The largest chain, vpz, was founded in 2012 in Leith, Edinburgh, and now has more than 150 shops across the UK. The company began producing its own liquids in Scotland in 2016. It has reported a turnover of £36 million in 2022, an increase of almost 60 per cent in five years.

The industry's rapid growth partly reflects a supportive attitude from the public health sector. While many governments are wary of the potential health benefits of inhaling nicotine through the inhalation of vapour rather than tobacco smoke, the National Health Service has been making the case for replacement smoking.
In April this year, the government announced an 'alternative smoking cessation' programme that will provide up to one million smokers with a free Vape starter pack, the first of its kind in the world.

The average price of a packet of 20 cigarettes is now £14.57, while a disposable vape for roughly the same number of cigarettes costs around £5, and a refillable device for the same amount of nicotine is half the £5 price. More and more cost-conscious smokers are making the switch.

However, ideals are strong but reality is hard. Just six months after announcing the giveaway of vaping kits, the government published a consultation report on the regulation of vaping e-cigarettes that seems to herald a tougher stance.
The shift in attitude has been prompted by two related issues - the rising use of disposable devices and concerns about underage vapers, as well as the growing topic of environmental damage from disposable e-cigarettes.

One of the biggest arguments against disposables is the amount of waste they produce. In fact, 1.3 million are discarded every week in the UK alone . However, analyses by the United Nations show that disposable e-cigarettes are not the biggest source of e-waste.
Discarded toys are the biggest culprit. People throw away 77 times more e-cigarettes each year. Globally, e-cigarettes generate 42 million kilograms of e-waste per year, while toys generate 3.2 billion kilograms.
While disposable e-cigarettes aren't the biggest source of e-waste globally, it's important to recycle them correctly.

Charity Material Focus estimates that sales of disposable devices have doubled since 2022 to 360 million units a year. Industry experts estimate that the UK accounts for around 40 per cent of the European market for disposable vaping devices. They are available in supermarkets, convenience stores, petrol stations and laundries.

Both the Local Government Association and the Scottish Government have called for a total ban on disposable e-cigarettes. This is partly because most disposables end up in landfill. In addition, disposable e-cigarettes are readily available to young people.

Although it is already an offence to sell disposable e-cigarettes to under 18s, enforcement is weak.

Responses to Freedom of Information requests from ten London boroughs and 11 of the largest capital cities show that between 2018 and 2021 there were only 21 successful prosecutions for illegal vape sales, with the total value of all fines being just £2,188.

Incumbents are open to increased regulation. vpz director Douglas Mutter said sales of disposable devices accounted for less than 15 per cent of the company's revenue. The industry is calling for a licensing system, similar to that required for the sale of alcohol, with automatic fines of up to £10,000 for non-compliance.

Practitioners in the e-cigarette industry want the government to develop sensible regulatory policies to avoid repeating the mistakes made in Australia and some states in the US, which have reduced the appeal of e-cigarettes to young people by banning flavourings. They argue that the UK is a global leader in the regulation of e-cigarettes and that international manufacturers are keeping a close eye on the future of the industry.

"Just because kids are buying alcohol doesn't mean we can only drink methanol-laced spirits," said one attendee at a gathering of the vaping industry in London this week. The UK is considered a global leader in e-cigarette regulation. E-cigarette supporters in the UK have criticised the government's plans to ban disposable and flavoured e-cigarettes, claiming that it will lead one in five e-cigarette users to return to cigarettes.

International manufacturers will be waiting to see if the future of the industry is as sweet smelling as the vapour it produces.

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