The chief executive of vape brand Elf Bar has called for a zero tolerance approach to counterfeit products following an investigation into fake factories in China.
Victor Xiao, the chief executive of Elf Bar, has warned that potentially dangerous fake products are in the UK market, having been made in “squalid Chinese factories with no regard for product safety”.
“Fighting fakes is a priority for Elf Bar and we would like to see a zero tolerance on these fake vapes adopted right across the entire industry so we can show a united front to drive these people out of business,” said Xiao.
To illustrate how these products are being produced, Elf Bar has released pictures of the unsanitary conditions in which these counterfeiters operate from a factory that was raided by the Chinese authorities.
Xiao said: “Consumers would be horrified if they saw the conditions in which these products are made and quite rightly so. The criminals behind these counterfeit products care nothing about product safety or the health of consumers and they cut every corner possible in order to maximise their profits.
“Quite frankly, the conditions in these factories are absolutely squalid where workers man production lines in filthy conditions with no regard to hygiene at all.”
Since June 2021, Elf Bar has worked with the Chinese authorities to help shut down more than 120 counterfeit production and sales facilities including factories, warehouses and logistics operations. This has led to the seizure of more than two million finished counterfeit Elf Bar products, millions of packaging boxes, anti-counterfeit codes, semi-finished vaping pipes and other accessories.
“Retailers are opening themselves up to substantial risks by handling these products and must avoid them at all costs,” he said. “Because these products have not undergone any safety checks or official testing there is no way of knowing what health risks they could cause and our fear is that they could be extremely dangerous.”
Xiao added that retailers are the last line of defence to protect consumers.
“While it can be hard to tell a fake product from the real thing just by looking at it, there is no excuse for any retailer to sell a counterfeit Elf Bar product. Retailers can scan a code on the packaging to check the authenticity of the product and we urge them to do this for each and every product they sell.
“Fighting fakes is a priority for Elf Bar and we would like to see a zero tolerance on these fake vapes adopted right across the entire industry so we can show a united front to drive these people out of business.”
John Dunne, director general of the UK Vaping Industry Association, said: “I applaud Elf Bar for standing up against the counterfeiters. They pose a significant risk to the harm reduction reputation of the global vaping industry. It’s why we have called for a retail licensing scheme here in the UK to prevent the sale of illicit products and much higher penalties of at least £10,000 per instance for retailers who break the law in this way. Similarly, the counterfeiters and those who trade fake vapes along the supply chain need dealing with in a way by the relevant authorities that puts them off from doing it ever again.”
Lee Bryan, managing director of compliance specialists Arcus Compliance, said: “Counterfeiters in any market are the worst of the worst. However, whilst fakes are extremely difficult to spot, distributors, wholesalers and retailers need to set up systems to ensure they are making all the right checks. Any lack of inbound vape product monitoring could let fakes get through the supply chain and pose a very real risk to the health of the consumer and their own reputations.”
No comments yet