According to Kamcity on October 18, British manufacturer and wholesaler Supreme has announced a series of measures to reduce the use of its own-brand e-cigarette products by minors and reduce the environmental impact of disposable e-cigarettes. The initiatives will be launched in the coming months and call for the e-cigarette market across the UK to follow suit.
Supreme’s 88Vape vaping products are sold in supermarkets such as Asda, Sainsbury’s, B&M and Morrisons. Supreme also owns e-cigarette brands such as Liberty Flights, KiK and Zillion.
Specific measures are as follows:
The 88Vape product line, ranging from disposable e-cigarettes to 10ml liquid, will be evaluated to ensure that the use of color is very limited (only as a tool to distinguish between different items), and the packaging is generally uniform;
Do not use pictures, cartoons or characters on the packaging. Stop all bright colored disposable e-cigarettes: The company’s 88Vape disposable line will be switched to simple black, white or gray hardware, phasing out all bright colors as early as possible. For adults only:
The nomenclature for all flavors in the 88Vape series will be simplified, for example, ‘Peach Dream’ will become ‘Peach’ and ‘Sweet Strawberry’ will become ‘Strawberry’ to reduce the interest of underage e-cigarette users. Any flavors that might appeal to underage e-cigarette users will be completely removed from the series.
Only deal with retailers with strict age verification: Supreme will increase its “pre-order” due diligence on all retailers and online retailers to ensure they clearly confirm that they have established well-established age verification protocols. For retailers that do not meet this requirement, Supreme will no longer trade.
Responsible placement of products in stores: Supreme will advise all retailers that their e-cigarette products should not be placed near candy, and will work with retailers to find an appropriate location in the store to ensure that underage e-cigarette users do not have access to e-cigarette products.
Vape bins in stores: Supreme is installing vape bins throughout the stores of its biggest customer, B&M Retail, to encourage more responsible disposal of disposable devices.
Government cooperation: Supreme will continue to work with the government to combat underage e-cigarette use and support further legislation, such as the e-cigarette Industry Association’s proposal to require licensing of e-cigarette product sales and impose heavy fines on retailers who sell e-cigarettes to minors.
Industry collaboration: Supreme will encourage other e-cigarette brands it works with to follow suit.
Supreme CEO Sandy Chadha commented: “While we believe flavored e-cigarettes are an important part of the ‘quit journey’ for many quitters as they seek to replace tobacco flavors with something more palatable, we are also keen to ensure that these flavors do not arouse any interest among young people.”