TPD Compliance
The European Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) and TMB Notes
The European Tobacco Products Directive 2014/14/EU (TPD) is a complex piece of legislation that became law on 20th May 2016. The directive includes regulations related to vaping products, as they may contain nicotine or be designed to deliver nicotine, which is mostly derived from tobacco leaves. The regulations apply to the manufacture, retail, and display of eliquids and vaping hardware.
A transition period of one year allowed manufacturers and retailers to continue offering non-compliant products to exhaust their existing stocks. However, from 20th May 2017, it became mandatory for all products sold to consumers to be compliant with the TPD.
Key TPD Regulations for Vaping Products:
- The nicotine strength of eliquids must not exceed 20mg/ml
- The capacity of vape tanks, vape pods, and cartridges must be limited to 2ml
- Vaping devices must be leak-free
- It must be possible to refill tanks and pods without leakage
- Eliquids and devices must have child-resistant packaging
- Manufacturers must notify the regulatory body (MHRA) of all ingredients in eliquids
- Manufacturers must notify the MHRA of all components in devices together with their refilling mechanisms
- Vaping devices must deliver a consistent dose of nicotine per puff
TMB Notes and TPD Compliance:
At TMB Notes, we make every effort to confirm that the products we offer are all TPD compliant. Here’s how we ensure compliance:
- Our advertising and marketing messages do not encourage non-smokers to start using electronic cigarettes and are never targeted at children.
- All eliquids with nicotine and nicotine shots are available only in bottles with a capacity of 10ml or less.
- All eliquids with nicotine and nicotine shots feature a nicotine concentration of 20mg/ml or less.
- We only sell tanks, pods, and cartridges with an eliquid capacity of 2ml or less.
- Before offering any eliquid or device for sale, we check that the product features on the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) Submitted Products List.
- In cases where we cannot find a product on the Submitted Products list, we seek confirmation from the manufacturer that the product is TPD compliant and has been notified to the MHRA.
- We do not sell eliquids containing taurine, caffeine, or diacetyl.
- The ingredients are stated on the packaging of all eliquids sold by or manufactured by TMB Notes.
- All eliquids and nicotine shots sold by TMB Notes feature a nicotine warning on the packaging.
- We keep up to date with all new legislation and any amendments to existing legislation and then act accordingly.
The laws governing vaping may change in the future. It is uncertain how the UK’s departure from the European Union will impact vaping. For the time being, the TPD will remain enshrined in UK law. However, the UK government could choose to repeal this legislation and introduce new regulations specific to the UK. TMB Notes will always abide by UK law and will only ever manufacture and retail compliant products.
