The ban on single-use vapes introduced at the start of June may have brought with it many column inches and much scrabbling from retailers to ensure compliance, but early indications are that consumers are treating refillable devices just as they did disposables.
That’s according to Imperial Brands, makers of Winston and JPS cigarettes and the Blu range of vapes. The firm is calling for clarification on the law, asking Defra to update its guidance to specify that refill pods and e-liquids must be “separately and readily available” for consumers to buy in-store.
Imperial says that rather than reusing the mandated refillable devices as intended by purchasing replacement pods or liquids, many vapers are simply buying entirely new devices, which typically include a full nicotine capsule in their packaging.
This behaviour fundamentally undermines the legislation, which was introduced both to reduce electronic waste, and to stop lead, mercury and other harmful substances leaching into the soil from devices that had been discarded with conventional refuse, or littered in parks and on pavements.
Warning that the new legislation is “meaningless unless consumers also purchase vape pods separately and use multiple pods with the one reusable vape device” Imperial has called on Defra to ensure retailers selling vapes also offer refills.
The firm adds: “With the ban on disposable vapes still in its early stage, it remains important to continue to promote best practice use for consumers. This includes educating them to purchase prefilled vape pods separately and use multiple pods with one reusable vape device.”
Citing its Blu range of vapes, Imperial says one device and pod has the same £5.99 rrp* as a refill pack of two pods, making it far better value for consumers to purchase replacement pods.
This latest call follows a warning earlier in the month from nicotine pouch and vape retailer Haypp, which commissioned secret shoppers to visit vape shops in nine major UK cities, and discovered that 23% of retailers are flouting the law and continuing to sell disposable devices.
*Imperial Brands rrp for July 2025.
