According to a report by betterretailing on September 27th, discussions surrounding disposable e-cigarettes have become increasingly prevalent in public discourse recently. While disposable e-cigarettes have brought considerable profits to convenience store retailers, calls for their prohibition are also growing. In July of this year, the Local Government Association (LGA), representing England and Wales, urged the government to ban the sale and production of disposable e-cigarettes by 2024.
The Local Government Association (LGA) has expressed the need for an immediate ban on disposable e-cigarettes, citing the European Union’s proposal to outlaw them by 2026 and France’s plan to implement a ban starting in 2023. Without timely policies, the UK market could be flooded with disposable e-cigarettes. Furthermore, the disposal of these devices poses challenges for waste management and recycling, with the potential risk of garbage truck fires.
Cllr David Fothergill, an outstanding member of LGA, expressed his stance on e-cigarettes, stating that cities are not opposed to them. He emphasized that compared to traditional cigarettes, e-cigarettes cause less harm and can even be used as a tool for smoking cessation. However, he highlighted that disposable e-cigarettes have inherent design flaws and are unsustainable products. Therefore, in the long run, recycling as much as possible cannot solve the problem, and a comprehensive ban is preferred.
Given these factors, convenience store retailers may be concerned about the future of disposable e-cigarettes. However, even with a ban in place, there are still viable areas for profit in the e-cigarette industry. For example, 10ml e-cigarette liquid offers five times the amount of liquid smoke compared to disposables and the device can be recharged instead of being thrown away after one use, resulting in less environmental impact. It is precisely because of these value propositions that price-sensitive consumers will find this type of e-cigarette more cost-effective.
