Vaping: a review of 2020

Vaping professionals are taking stock of 2020. Marked by the Covid-19 health crisis, the figures remain mixed. Here is what the double-twenty year brought, for better or for worse, to the world of the e-cigarette.

Upsides, but drawbacks too

With the exception of a few shops located in shopping centres, vape shops were able to stay open in France despite the lockdown. That positive point allowed managers to keep trading and to meet their customers’ needs during a difficult period. Retailers were quick to react and came up with proposals for new ways of selling, such as click and collect, or bulk e-liquids as a way of taking the environmental impact into account. In France, the number of shops opening also rose, in spite of the crisis.

Critics of the sector, however, still have plenty to work with, notably the unlawful sale of e-liquids with nicotine levels above 10 ml. This practice is unfortunately spreading fast and gives weighty arguments to opponents of vaping. On top of that, proposals to ban flavourings in the Netherlands and in Denmark sent a shiver through everyone in the trade.

Approaching 2021 more calmly

A good many manufacturers, along with vape shop managers, are speaking with one voice in saying that 2021 will be a year of reckoning. The economic and health crisis is still with us. The idea is to reach consumers, in particular through positive media coverage of vaping.

2021 will therefore be decisive as regards the position taken by many countries on flavourings, which will inevitably have a direct impact on the future of the trade. Those working in the field face a long fight on that front. The electronic cigarette is perceived as an alternative to the ordinary cigarette, and the sector argues that these products should remain available and affordable to those who want to cut down on tobacco or stop smoking.