Key Insights: EU Imports of e-Cigarettes from China Reached €3.3 Billion, weighing 56,000 Tons in 2022

Important information

In 2022, the European Union imported approximately 3.3 billion euros worth of e-cigarettes from 27 countries, with a total weight of 56,000 tons. China accounted for 59% of the total imports.

In August 2023, China's e-cigarette export to the United States reached a total value of 255 million US dollars (approximately 1.858 billion Chinese Yuan), witnessing a 3.05% decrease compared to the previous month and a 3.03% increase on a year-on-year basis.

In July 2023, China's e-cigarette exports to the Netherlands increased by 19% to 195 million yuan compared to the previous year. However, there was a sequential decrease of 10.59% from the previous month. On a year-on-year basis, there was a growth of 19.35%.

In July 2023, China's e-cigarette exports to the United Arab Emirates increased by 39% to reach 110 million yuan. The export quantity also rose by 93%, reaching 373,167 kilograms.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued warning letters to 15 e-cigarette online retailers and three manufacturers (distributors), urging them to cease the sale or distribution of unauthorized e-cigarette products.

The Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) of the US FDA is currently soliciting representatives from the tobacco manufacturing industry to join the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee. The deadline for applications is October 11.

Philip Morris International (PMI) is considering selling a portion of its largest pharmaceutical division, Vectura, due to its failure to meet profit expectations for the past two years.

The number of intellectual property applications made by KT&G, both domestically and internationally, has sharply risen from 27 cases in 2017 to 1,065 cases projected for 2022, marking a staggering growth rate of more than 3,800 percent. Additionally, the total number of registered trademarks has reached 7,132.

ISPIRE's revenue for the fiscal year 2023 has increased by 31.2%, reaching $115.6 million. This growth can be attributed to the significant increase in revenue from CBD vaporization products, which saw a growth of 100.4% and reached $40 million. Additionally, revenue from e-cigarette products grew by 10.9%, reaching $75.6 million.

The German e-cigarette trade association (VdeH) has reported a decline of approximately one-third in the number of physical sales points for e-cigarette specialty retail stores in Germany, now standing at approximately 1,200.

The sales of non-combustible pod products in South Korea have seen a tremendous growth, increasing by 6.8 times from 78.7 million boxes in 2017 to 538.6 million boxes last year. In just the first half of this year (January to June), sales have already reached 292.6 million boxes. It is projected that by the end of 2023, annual sales will surpass 600 million boxes for the first time.

Special Report on GTNF

The Global Tobacco and Nicotine Forum (GTNF) opened on September 19, 2023, and 2FIRSTS arrived on the scene to provide coverage. The theme for the first day of the forum was "Consumer First." Attendees discussed various focal points such as the enforcement status of the US FDA, the future of safe nicotine products in the US, the ease of consumer access to compliant products after market regulations, and how the e-cigarette industry plans to assist consumers.

On the second day of the 2023 Global Tobacco and Nicotine Forum (GTNF), Nancy Loucas, Coordinator for Public Health Policy and Implementation at CAPHRA, spoke to 2FIRSTS and highlighted contrasting trends in smoking rates in Australia and New Zealand. Despite Australia's implementation of stringent healthcare measures, smoking rates have remained stagnant or even increased. In contrast, New Zealand has successfully managed to reduce its smoking rates.

Dr. Deng Ming, the head of the research on the emerging tobacco industry at Yunnan University, discussed the future of e-cigarettes during his speech at GTNF. He emphasized that the upcoming trend in e-cigarettes will involve the combination of heating without combustion technology with vapes, similar to the "Lil AIBLE" product by KT&G, a South Korean tobacco company.

At the GTNF forum, participants engaged in discussions on the topics of "the path to sustainable development" and "directions for new product development". Some guests expressed the belief that products beyond nicotine may be the future trend.

During a speech at the GTNF forum, Julian Cheung, the Asia Pacific Director of Operations for JTI, highlighted the staggering figures surrounding the global illicit tobacco trade. Cheung revealed that in 2022, the value of this illegal trade reached a staggering $40 trillion, with counterfeit tobacco products accounting for a significant 33.9% of the total global cigarette production.

Vaporesso (a brand under Smoore), Innokin, ICCPP (a subsidiary of the Ji'en Group), ANDS, Alliance One India Industries (AOII), and The Center for Agricultural Transformation (CAT) have been awarded the Golden Leaf Prize for the year 2023.

Brian King, Director of the Tobacco Center at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), stated in an interview with 2FIRSTS that submitting a PMTA application for e-cigarette products is not equivalent to being able to legally sell them.

During the GTNF forum, Brian King, Director of the Center for Tobacco Products at the U.S. FDA, expressed his concerns about how the FDA can adapt to the evolving category of e-cigarettes and improve the predictability of regulations. In response, Brian A. King stated that the FDA is highly supportive of e-cigarette innovation and will strive to adapt to these changes in order to facilitate the entry of innovative e-cigarette products into the U.S. market.

Australian smoking expert Dr. Colin Mendelsoh recently spoke with 2FIRSTS, where he expressed his view that Australia's prescription e-cigarette model has been a failure.