Australia bans puffs imports: manufacturers fight back

In Australia, the ban on the importation of disposable e-cigarettes was justified on environmental and health grounds. However, the industry appears to have anticipated the regulation and is developing strategies to circumvent the ban, including through illicit importation practices.

Since the 1^er January 2024, the ban on the import of disposable e-cigarettes came into force in Australia. This measure should be followed later this year by a ban on the manufacture and sale of these products, which have been singled out by the authorities for their appeal to young people, but also for their environmental impact. The scientific journal Tobacco Control warns of the practices of the industry, which is developing responses – including illegal ones – to circumvent the ban[1].

Australia faces illegal import practices

Although the ban on the import of disposable e-cigarettes has come into force, retailers are allowed to sell off their stocks. However, it appears that some players have not complied with the new regulations, as 13 tonnes of disposable e-cigarettes have been seized by the Australian Border Force, corresponding to an estimated street value of more than 4.5 million Australian dollars (approximately 2.7 million euros).[2]The Tobacco Control article also highlights that the importation of disposable electronic cigarettes is encouraged by Chinese manufacturers, who even go so far as to offer insurance in the event of the products being seized by Customs.

A new generation of electronic cigarettes with a limited lifespan

Manufacturers have also anticipated this import ban by slightly modifying their products, and thus circumventing the public health provision. Thus, new versions of electronic cigarettes have quickly appeared, at similar prices, allowing the consumer to recharge the battery of the electronic cigarette, or even replace it with a new one. In this way, although the product is extremely similar and just as attractive to younger generations, it no longer belongs to the legal category of disposable electronic cigarettes, and is therefore not subject to the import ban. Furthermore, although rechargeable, these products have in fact an extremely limited lifespan, and result in environmental consequences equivalent to first-generation disposable electronic cigarettes.

Circumvention practices observed elsewhere

These practices echo those observed in New Zealand a few months earlier. The country had taken the decision to ban disposable e-cigarettes, in particular by imposing a removable battery on each device sold. In fact, such a measure can be quickly circumvented, according to an article in Tobacco Control, as shown by the rapid marketing of hybrid e-cigarettes, with a removable battery, at particularly attractive prices.[3]. Furthermore, heavy promotions are part of the marketing arsenal deployed by manufacturers in order to maximize their sales and target younger people. For example, a study conducted among a sample of retailers showed that in 2019, the entry-level price for disposable e-cigarettes was below $10. In 2023, among the same sample of retailers, the most affordable disposable e-cigarettes were sold four times cheaper. Despite the destocking operations following the regulation, the entire price differential cannot be explained, particularly in light of the context of high inflation experienced in New Zealand during this period.

Keywords: Australia, disposable e-cigarettes, puffs

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[1] Gartner CE, Industry responds to Australia's disposable vape import ban with cheap alternatives and encouraging illegal imports, Tobacco Control Published Online First: 14 March 2024. doi: 10.1136/tc-2024-058647

[2] Department of health and aged care, 150,000 vapes seized in South Australia, 01/30/2024, (accessed 03/18/2024)

[3] Hardie L, McCool J, Freeman B, Industry response to New Zealand's vaping regulations, Tobacco Control Published Online First: 01 March 2024. doi: 10.1136/tc-2023-058427

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