Waitrose ditches disposable vapes

Waitrose said it has decided to stop selling single use vaping products, citing concerns around underage use and environmental impact.

The retailer has already made a decision not to enter the burgeoning market for brightly coloured, fashionable, single use vaping devices. But now they have also delisted two imitation cigarettes containing lithium, which they have been selling under the Ten Motives label.

Waitrose said the move is in response to the reports that suggest the growing popularity of the single use vapes among those who haven’t previously smoked.

The retailer also noted the environmental concerns about single use vaping devices, containing both plastics and valuable lithium ending up in landfill.

“We are a retailer driven by doing the right thing, so selling single use vapes is not something we could justify given the impact on both the environment and the health of young people,” Charlotte Di Cello, Waitrose commercial director, said.

“We had already decided it wasn’t right to stock the fashionable bright coloured devices which are seeing rapid growth – so this decision is the final jigsaw piece in our clear decision not to be part of the single use vaping market.”