Disposable vape manufacturer, Geek Bar, has launched a new supply chain charter to help safeguard against non-compliant and fake products bearing the brand’s identity entering the UK market.
The charter is the latest initiative by the company to address the challenge of illicit disposable vape products, which has led to raids by Trading Standards on retail outlets selling them. It is also designed to address sales of the company’s products to minors.
In the UK, regulations state that disposable vapes should contain no more than 20mg/ml of nicotine nor have above 2ml liquid capacity. Geek Bar Pros, manufactured for non-TPD markets where regulations are different and allow higher nicotine concentrations, have been amongst the non-compliant products finding their way into the UK market.
The company’s new charter covers every aspect of the supply chain, from product sourcing to sale of devices to the customer.
In the charter the company commits itself and its supply chain partners to:
- Sourcing components and ingredients of the highest quality and purity to ensure the unrivalled quality of products on the market;
- Robust new product development processes to ensure complete compliance with the rigorous approval requirements of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA);
- Stringent batch control so retailers and distributors can easily check if a product incorporates a UK batch number;
- Clearly set out distribution contracts in place with all distributors, stating which territories they can sell into based on legislation around e-liquid capacity and nicotine concentrations;
- Highly responsive product recall procedures, which will alert distributors immediately when such a situation arises so that information can be cascaded downstream in the supply chain;
- Transparency with health and safety product information by ensuring any details on identified hazards within the content of the product is communicated effectively to consumers on the packaging, in line with the Classification, Labelling and Packaging Regulations. As part of this process Geek Bar will carry out classification and labelling checks on every product produced.
- Adult-focused labelling which makes very clear that the products are only for sale to those who are 18 or over;
- Product authenticity checks for retailers and consumers so if they are in doubt about the product that they are buying they can confirm its authenticity by checking the security code which is clearly visible on the packaging at http://www.geekbar.com/security-code.html
- Tamper-proof products through a new top-integrated seal on the packaging, which will allow consumers to open the vape product using a tear brace and will help detect any attempts to tamper with the contents during its movement down the supply chain.
Allen Yang, chief executive at Geek Bar, said: “Our Charter, which has been carefully thought through, is designed to set the bar very high when it comes to disposable vape standards in the supply chain. These standards have been under scrutiny in recent months as the category has attracted significant interest and demand.
“We have been working tirelessly over the last six months to review our business operations to ensure that no stone has been left unturned and ensure that adult smokers continue to enjoy the highest quality and safest vaping experience when using our products.”
He added: “We will not tolerate malpractice amongst distributors and retailers who want to supply and sell our products but do not do it legitimately. Through the development of the charter we are upping the ante even more to ensure rogue traders do not succeed in our marketplace.”
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