Joint statement calling for the ban of single-use e-cigaretes in the European Union, UK and EEA

E-cigaretes were first placed on the European market in 2006. They were originally developed as an alternative to traditional tobacco smoking and aimed to provide a way for consumers to inhale nicotine vapour without the harmful effects associated with burning tobacco such as tar and carbon content. Since their inception, the designs have evolved including the sale of single-use e-cigaretes, which were first sold in Europe in 2019 and were aimed at consumers looking for lower costs, smaller products and a wider range of different liquids and flavours, with or without nicotine.

All the e-cigarete devices are powered by an external or internal lithium batery, most external bateries are rechargeable via a batery charger, and internal bateries are partially rechargeable based on the device type. However internal bateries in most single-use disposable devices are not rechargeable. Initial models had a short batery life and small tank, but despite this have grown exponentially year-on-year with worldwide sales reaching $19.3 billion in 2019. The product design has also evolved with greater batery power, larger capacity and length of use.

These devices (subject to design differences) consist of an atomiser, a power source (the lithium batery), and a container such as a cartridge or tank filled with liquid.