UK: Puff adverts banned over misleading environmental claims
December 3, 2023
Par: National Committee Against Smoking
Dernière mise à jour: December 3, 2023
Temps de lecture: 3 minutes

The UK Advertising Authority (ASA) has banned a series of adverts for disposable electronic devices (puffs) Elfbar after finding they gave the wrong impression that the products had environmental benefits when their recycling options are limited.[1].
The posters, some of which have been placed on buses and digital billboards, read "recycling for a greener future," along with messages about environmental awareness and the recycling symbol.
Misleading advertising inserts
Elfbar told the ASA that the aim of the poster campaign was to encourage consumers to engage in recycling. More than 70% of consumers throw these devices in the bin, unaware that the products could be recycled.
However, the ASA concluded that the adverts gave the impression that Elfbar products were “widely and easily recyclable”, which it considered “inaccurate” due to the very limited recycling options that actually exist for these products. The adverts gave the impression that the products could be recycled at home when in reality these items are considered electrical appliances and should be recycled either at store drop-off points or local authority recycling stations. The ASA also said it had no evidence that Elfbar branded devices had a less environmental impact than other vaping products on the market, and concluded that the “greener future” claim was likely to mislead consumers.
Products that are difficult to recycle
The manufacturing and consumption of puffs leads to a significant loss of essential raw materials such as lithium or copper. Generally, the recycling of disposable e-cigarettes is very labor-intensive and not without risk. Each product must be disassembled by hand due to the flammable batteries, and the nicotine liquid requires additional health and safety precautions.
A survey conducted by the British organization Material Focus[2] had also shown that most disposable electronic devices contain light-emitting diodes that light up when the user pulls on them and were unlikely to be recovered in the recycling process.
Material Focus said in its study that a recycling program run by disposable e-cigarette maker Riot Labs across 800 vape shops in the UK had recorded a puff take-back rate of less than 1%.
More and more countries, including France very recently, are positioning themselves in favour of an immediate ban on these devices which are described by health and environmental experts as "health and ecological aberrations".
Keywords: Puffs, Elfbar, disposable e-cigarette, recycling, environment, advertising
©Generation Without TobaccoAE
[1] ASA Ruling on Imiracle (HK) Ltd t/a ELFBAR, ASA website, published November 29, 2023, accessed November 30, 2023
[2] Tobacco-free generation, The environmental disaster of disposable e-cigarettes, published March 15, 2023, accessed November 30, 2023
National Committee Against Smoking |