According to an ECigIntelligence report published on October 4, Puffs currently represent nearly 40% of the vaping market worldwide. A new European directive will require all electronic devices to have a replaceable battery. The end of puffs , these small disposable electronic cigarettes that have flooded the market in recent months, is near.
On July 12, the European Parliament adopted a new law (2023/1542) on cells and batteries. Entering into force on August 17, it aims to “make batteries sustainable throughout their life cycle, from the sourcing of materials to their collection, including their recycling and reuse” .
As part of a more general ecological approach for all member countries of the European Union (EU), this new directive, which updates a previous one dating from 2006, will affect all sectors, including vaping.
“This Regulation applies to all categories of batteries, namely portable batteries, starting, lighting and ignition batteries (SLI batteries), batteries for light vehicles (LMT batteries), batteries for electric vehicles and industrial batteries, regardless of their shape, volume, weight, design, material composition, chemistry, use or destination. It also applies to batteries which are incorporated or added to products or which are specifically designed to be incorporated or added to products ,” states article 1.
Article 11 explains that any legal or natural person who places on the market a device containing any battery must ensure that the battery(ies) “are easily removable and replaceable by the end user” . As Puffs do not allow their battery to be changed, they will therefore become banned products within the EU.
Other articles mention numerous additional obligations for manufacturers, in particular regarding the traceability of each battery circulating on European territory, their recycling, their composition, their transport, or even the procedures for placing them on the market.
If the entry into force of this regulation on a European scale will force the disappearance of Puffs, they were already in the sights of several governments around the world. Often described as an ecological aberration, disposable personal vaporizers had already been banned in several territories. For its part, France had recently expressed its desire to ban them, while Germany for example, whose Bavarian region had also requested their ban at European level at the start of the year, has already done so. .
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