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The Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 (TRPR)

The Electronic Cigarette Company only supplies products that are fully compliant with the TRPR. Read on below to find out more about the TRPR, and what the regulations mean for vape products.

What Is TRPR?

TRPR stands for the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016. The 2014 Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) from the EU meant that the UK had to make new regulations for vaping into law. TRPR regulations provide health protection for consumers, and allow effective market surveillance of tobacco and tobacco related products. They cover a host of areas, including packaging warnings, how we can advertise and promote e cigs and e liquids, size limits on e-cig tanks and a cap on nicotine strength.

The TRPR applies to all tobacco products as well as vape products. All e liquid ingredients have to be carefully checked for their suitability. They also have to be emissions tested. Then producers must notify all this information to the MHRA. Only then can we sell e-liquid to consumers legally. All this helps prevent any harmful ingredients making their way into your e liquid.

Why Is Vaping Included In The TRPR?

TRPR classes vaping products as tobacco related products, despite them not containing tobacco itself. This is, in part, because most producers extract nicotine from the tobacco plant. Synthetic nicotine is also available now, but any product that contains nicotine still comes under TRPR.

When Did The TRPR Become Law?

The EU published the TPD back in 2014, and the TRPR became law in the UK on 20th May 2016. The regulations then required us to sell off non-compliant stock over a permitted transition period. That period ended on 19th May 2017. Some vape brands were no longer available afterwards. Others changed significantly in the way they traded or made their products.

What Does The TRPR Mean For Vapers?

TRPR forced some significant changes on the vaping industry. These went from the size of an e cig tank, to how we can sell e liquid. However for most everyday vapers, these changes did not have too much of an impact. We have listed some of the changes introduced below:

  • Packaging must state the product contains nicotine and inform that nicotine is addictive. This must be shown on a standardised marking taking up 30% of both the front and back of packets
  • The highest e liquid nicotine strength allowed is 20mg/ml (20 milligrams of nicotine per millilitre of e liquid, or 2.0% strength)
  • E cig tanks, pods and disposables are restricted to a maximum of 2ml capacity
  • E liquid that contains nicotine cannot be sold in bottle sizes greater than 10ml
  • Caffeine, taurine and several other active substances are banned from e-liquid content
  • All e liquids that contain nicotine are required to be sold in child-resistant and tamper-evident packaging
  • All e cigs and liquids must be notified to the MHRA and published on a specific MHRA portal before they can be sold

Where Does The Electronic Cigarette Company Fit In All This?

Long before the creation of the TRPR, The Electronic Cigarette Company involved itself directly in negotiating and shaping UK vaping regulations. Initially this was through lobbying directly with like-minded businesses. We also worked closely with a host of active “pro vape” advocates. This included many of our loyal and long-standing customers. In time, this activity led to the formation of the Independent British Vape Trade Association (IBVTA) at the end of 2015. As active IBVTA members we worked (and still work now) with government departments and the MHRA. Together we completed most of the hard work between 2015 and 2018. We are proud that we helped make sure the UK has the world’s best vaping regulations. It is no coincidence that the UK is now a world leader in tobacco harm reduction through vaping.

Of course our active involvement in shaping the way regulations work comes with a responsibility. We helped negotiate the rules, so we have to abide by them. Our tanks are no bigger than 2ml. We do not sell any e liquid over 20mg strength. All of our packaging has the required warnings in place. We also do not sell any nicotine containing e liquid over 10ml. However, we do stock a range of shortfill options without nicotine. This can be a great option for those who want to buy more than 10ml.

None of our own brand e-liquids contain caffeine or taurine. They do not contain any harmful ingredients such as diacetyl. They have been properly notified to the MHRA. This means all of their ingredients have been screened for inhalation suitability. It also means that they have been tested for their emissions in a professional laboratory.

If you are new to vaping, these regulations have been around for a long time now. If you want to know more about UK vaping regulations, feel free to call our customer service team on 01254 269380, or drop us an email. We will be happy to help.

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