Superdrug, a prominent health and beauty retailer, has revealed its plans to discontinue the sale of single-use vapes in all of its stores across the United Kingdom and Ireland. This decision affects popular brands such as Vuse Go and Flavaah Bars, with Superdrug aiming to completely clear its stock of these products by the end of the year.

According to Superdrug, it currently sells an average of 1,300 units of single-use vapes per week in its physical stores but does not offer them for sale online. This move follows recent research conducted by the recycling campaign group Material Focus, which unveiled a staggering statistic: five million disposable vapes are discarded each week in the UK, marking a fourfold increase over the past year.

Calls for banning disposable vapes have grown louder over time, primarily due to environmental concerns. Superdrug is also taking into account the safety risks associated with these products, as many of them contain lithium batteries that can pose fire hazards if not disposed of properly.

Lucy Morton-Channon, Superdrug’s head of environment, social, and governance, expressed her concerns, saying, “The rate at which consumers are using single-use vapes and discarding them is worrying and alarming for the environment. The lasting effects that single-use vapes are having on the environment need to be addressed, and I am pleased that we’ve decided to remove them from all stores.”

Notably, there have been reports that ministers in the UK government are considering a ban on single-use vapes due to growing concerns that these products are being marketed towards children and teenagers.

Various stakeholders, including councils, paediatricians, and public waste campaigners, have previously called for the sale of disposable vaping devices to be made illegal. The government is expected to publish a response to its call for evidence on vaping, which closed in June.

Superdrug has pledged to offer a diverse range of alternatives for shoppers who seek options other than cigarettes, whether it be for smoking cessation or exploring different vaping alternatives.