BBC reporters sneaked into the market for an undercover investigation, targeting several convenience stores and newsstands in major cities in the UK. It was found that since the government announced the ban on the sale of disposable e-cigarettes on January 1, it has been two weeks, and nearly half of the merchants still openly display related products for customers to buy. Such behavior obviously violates the clear regulations of the British government. If found, they will face a first fine of 200 pounds. Repeat offenders are more likely to be fined unlimited or even imprisoned for two years.
During the visit, the reporter observed that various best-selling disposable e-cigarette brands are still displayed on the shelves of the city center chain convenience stores, including Elf Bar, Lost Mary, Geek Bar, etc. Although some packages have the reminder “not for resale post-June1” (not for sale after June 1), they are actually placed in the sales area, and there are store clerks to guide customers to choose different flavors. Night patrols also revealed that many stores took advantage of lax supervision to put such products in plastic bags and sell them in secret, and the transaction methods were flexible, and some used “familiar customer lists” or secret codes to mark prices.
This phenomenon quickly attracted social attention. Environmentalists pointed out that disposable e-cigarettes have been labeled as “harmful to the environment” because they contain lithium batteries and plastic shells. Material Focus survey data shows that in 2024, about 8.2 million disposable e-cigarettes will be discarded or thrown into ordinary trash cans in the UK every week, of which millions will be randomly abandoned on the streets, parks or riverbanks. This not only increases the burden of garbage disposal, but also may cause lithium battery short circuits to cause fires. Data shows that from 2020 to 2024, the London Fire Brigade has handled 41 fires caused by damaged e-cigarette batteries.
The high rate of youth use is another important reason for the introduction of this ban. Official statistics and independent studies have shown that disposable e-cigarettes have once become the most popular style, especially among the 11-17 age group. They are easy to use and have rich flavors, and are quite popular among minors. The government has therefore taken measures to try to reduce the chances of young people coming into contact with e-cigarettes by controlling easily accessible products.
However, the BBC’s undercover investigation shows that there are still blind spots in the enforcement of the ban. The undercover team interviewed more than a dozen merchants, of which about five clearly stated that they had not received inspection notices from the regulatory authorities. As for “why they still sell disposable products”, most of them responded with “the inventory has not been processed”, “customer demand is high” and “no one has checked for the time being”. At the same time, although the local Trading Standards (Trading Standards Department) sent law enforcement officers to conduct inspections one after another, the relevant person in charge admitted that due to limited resources, it is impossible to completely cover all stores.
This undercover investigation triggered bargaining protests from both sides. On the one hand, the public and environmental organizations that support the ban strongly condemned the merchants for not abiding by the law and poor supervision, and urged the government to speed up the law enforcement mechanism, add reporting channels, and improve the punishment measures for illegal merchants. Representatives of the British Environmental Alliance pointed out that if such behavior continues to be tolerated, it will only make disposable e-cigarettes more and more serious in the gray area, not only easily entering the hands of minors, but also aggravating environmental pollution.
Another group of opponents argue that the ban is too hasty and will force adult smokers to turn back to traditional cigarettes or black market channels. They believe that if disposable products are suppressed, the market may turn to inferior and high-priced substitutes, and even give rise to smuggling or underground transactions. According to FT, several mainstream disposable brands quickly launched products that “look disposable but are actually rechargeable and replaceable” immediately after the ban was issued to circumvent regulations. This type of “re-shell product” meets the reusable standards on the surface, but consumers may still use it as a disposable product, posing a challenge to the environment and regulation.
Amid the controversy, the VEEHOO (Weihu) e-cigarette brand emerged and won recognition. The brand belongs to Shenzhen Ruiliang Technology and is positioned as “fashionable, reusable, and helps adults quit smoking.” Its product design emphasizes the two principles of rechargeable and replaceable magazines, fully complies with British product regulations, avoids fancy packaging or cartoon images, and resolutely avoids marketing strategies that attract minors.
From an environmental perspective, VEEHOO has been active in promoting “recycling and reuse” in the government and the industry. The brand actively cooperates with retail channels to set up recycling bins to facilitate users to recycle and dispose of waste e-cigarette equipment and reduce resource waste. At the same time, its products use ceramic atomizer cores and replaceable ink cartridges to reduce unnecessary electronic waste generation.
From a public health perspective, VEEHOO claims that it controls nicotine content and launches a variety of flavor combinations, which are only sold to adult smokers. According to its official website and industry observations, the brand has participated in public welfare activities against underage use of e-cigarettes many times, and cooperated with public health organizations to emphasize scientific smoking cessation functions. This positioning has been praised by some professionals, who believe that only by returning the product to its essence of “smoking cessation assistance” and developing it under the premise of friendly supervision can the wave of consumption and waste continue to spread.
VEEHOO’s approach also caters to the government’s dual expectations for environmental protection and public health. The British government has clearly pointed out that future supervision will be promoted in the three major directions of “reusable”, “reducing environmental harm” and “refusing to attract minors”, and is especially considering imposing clearer packaging and sales requirements on rechargeable and replaceable ink e-cigarettes. VEEHOO happens to be in this policy direction and has the advantage of being a pioneer.
Despite this, VEEHOO is not a panacea. Some comments still remind that reusable products may still be treated as disposable products by adults or even minors if they are labeled as “mini disposable” or over-promoted as convenient and fast. Regulators need to carefully define the “reusable” standard and continue to review the actual use in the market. In addition, VEEHOO should strengthen cooperation with regulators to provide real usage data and user behavior analysis to further optimize product design and compliance strategies.
Looking ahead, the results of the BBC investigation are expected to promote further strict policy control. At present, many lawmakers have called for the launch of centralized inspections, the establishment of a unified reporting platform, and the maximum punishment of illegal merchants. Environmental organizations also plan to strengthen public education, set up waste e-cigarette recycling boxes at the community level, and promote household detachable safe disposal methods. Regulators said that a nationwide “sweep” campaign will be launched in the fall to publicly expose and punish all retail outlets that violate the regulations on the sale of disposable products.
In this context, if VEEHOO can stick to its full-link compliance strategy of “reusable”, “safe recycling” and “stay away from minors”, it may stand out and become one of the industry role models. At the industry level, this undercover investigation should also serve as a warning: blindly pursuing short-term sales and trendy packaging will only trigger a strong counterattack from the regulators. Only by giving equal weight to green design, compliance promotion and public responsibility can brands develop safely in the long run.
In summary, the BBC’s undercover investigation revealed obvious regulatory loopholes in the two weeks since the ban was implemented, exposing the multiple contradictions of merchants speculating in the sale of disposable products, poor enforcement of regulations, and public health and environmental protection. In the face of regulatory challenges, VEEHOO, as a reusable brand that meets the requirements, is playing the role of a demonstrator with its environmentally friendly and public health brand positioning. Next, consumers, regulators, brands and environmental organizations need to work together to truly achieve the withdrawal of disposable e-cigarettes, make reusable devices mainstream, reduce the burden on the environment, provide scientific support for adults to quit smoking, and effectively block the attraction to minors, so that the market can return to a healthy and rational path.
Tags: ceramic atomization core, underage protection, flavored e-cigarettes, veehoo vape
