FYI
IBVTA: Independent British Vape Trade Association
FIVAPE: Fédération interprofessionnelle de la vape
/ Interprofessional Vaping Federation / French
Vaping Federation
T
hese are challenging
times for the vape
industry in Europe
as it comes to terms
with a new regulatory
environment following the
implementation of the revised Tobacco
Products Directive. There are other
challenges on the horizon including
the vexed issue of taxation and the
forthcoming COP 7 meeting in India
later this year.
Hoping to rise to these challenges is a
new body established to provide a united
voice for the independent vape industry
in Brussels – the European Coalition for
Independent Vape (ECIV).
Recently, I met with two of ECIV’s
founding committee members, Fraser
Cropper and Jean Moiroud, to find out
more about this new organisation and
how it is coming to terms with Brexit.
1) Could you introduce IBVTA and
FIVAPE?
Fraser: IBVTA is a collaborative
organisation and is not owned by any
one individual company or group of
companies, IBVTA is owned collectively
by all its members. Based in the heart
of Westminster, IBVTA is supported by
a dedicated secretariat and a science
and regulatory committee made up of
engineers, chemists, and pharmacists.
The mission of IBVTA is to provide
172 ISSUE 06 VAPOUROUND MAGAZINE
credible knowledge and guidance to
support the independent vape sector and
promote constructive interaction between
this industry sector and the scientific
community, vapers, regulators, policy
makers, and the general public. IBVTA
fosters research and manufacturing
excellence, in order to deliver a robust
yet proportionate consumer regulatory
landscape that adequately reflects
the needs of vaping stakeholders and
recognises vaping as a sector in its own
right. All IBVTA members are free from
any ownership or control by the tobacco
and pharmaceutical industries.
Jean: FIVAPE, the Interprofessional
Vaping Federation, represents more
than 360 French vape companies,
among them the leading French
producers and distributors. Its four
divisions – Manufacturers, Distributors,
User Relations and Europe &
International – align themselves with
all relevant stakeholders and experts
in order to establish a network, defend
professional and user interests, offer
trainings, develop standards and
advocate the liberty of vaping. Fivape
has further committed itself to full
independence from the tobacco industry
and therefore has each member sign a
declaration of absence of interests with
manufacturers of conventional cigarettes
and other tobacco products.
Last June, IBVTA and FIVAPE
announced that they were joining
forces to form ECIV. Could you tell
us why you decided to create this
cooperation?
Jean: Fivape has been active both at
the European and the international level
since its foundation. We were explaining
our vision for an independent sector to
our friends outside France, knowing that
many stakeholders were sharing our
views: vape products are neither tobacco
nor pharmaceutical products and should
therefore be regulated as a product set in
its own right. ECIV firstly means bringing
people and the industry together, so we
can promote a proportionate regulation
based on the fact that vaping is at least
95% less harmful than smoking. ECIV
is an initiative that will allow us to work
more closely together to shape the future
of vaping in Europe and to defend the
interests of millions of individual vapers.
Fraser: Many of those involved in the
creation of IBVTA have worked closely
with FIVAPE for some time.
Our experience of the TPD and the
more recent engagements that IBVTA
has had in Brussels convinced us of
the need, not onl