Disposable weapons could be a thing of the past in a few years. This is because the EU is about to approve a new regulation to regulate built-in batteries.
"Disposable weapons do not fit into that model" reports the Swiss magazine Vapolitique.
Under a regulation proposed by the European Commission, batteries built into electronic devices must be easy to remove or replace by the end user. This applies in particular to non-rechargeable batteries. According to the European Commission, the new regulation will facilitate recycling and increase the circulation of batteries. The report also proposes measures to create a broad and harmonised market for battery recycling. The aim is to make it clear to businesses what the rules are.
"We need to create a market for recycling, as well as a market to utilise the secondary raw materials in batteries." Writes the commission's investigation in its summary.
Can be forced out
If everything goes as planned by the European Commission, the European Parliament will also approve the new regulation. As well as affecting a large number of popular products currently imported from Asia, the new rules will also affect the market for e-cigarettes. The design of many of today's e-cigarettes must be changed, otherwise they risk disappearing, according to the report. Philippe Poirsson, editor of the magazine Vapolitique.
"The new rules apply in particular to single-use models, which are likely to be forced out of the market," he writes in the report. Vapolitics.
Approved models
Disposable models have exploded in popularity all over the world since they were introduced to the US market a few years ago. The technology is the same as in any e-cigarette, although the format is much smaller. The difference with traditional e-cigarettes is that they cannot be recharged or refilled. Once the battery or e-liquid is depleted, they must be discarded.
The single-use models that meet EU capacity and safety requirements contain a maximum of 2 ml of e-liquid and have a maximum nicotine concentration of 2%. This corresponds to between 16 and 22 mg/ml depending on the composition of the liquid. A disposable model with EU standard is equivalent to about 40 cigarettes, in terms of lifespan. That is, 600-800 puffs, over a period of 1-3 days.
Large black market
At the same time, the standard that has emerged from the EU regulations has opened up for a large black marketaccording to critics. More potent models, with larger liquid reservoirs and higher nicotine levels aimed at other markets, imported privately and compete with the legal models. According to reports from the Electronic Cigarette Industry Association (BELC), sales are made via social media, short-lived online websites or over the counter in smaller convenience stores,
Interesting about the EU's proposal on built-in batteries. Does it also apply to mobile phones? Apple was the first to encapsulate the battery and now Samsung and other manufacturers are doing the same. Or is this announcement also a pretext for sabotaging road products? Then there are also many reusable models that are just as small and flexible as the single-use models. But just like Iqos, more shops should also sell them so that they become more accessible. The faceless, anti-democratic fascists at the WHO want to ban all alternative nicotine and tobacco products.