What is The TPD?

What is the TPD?

The Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) is a directive of the European Union which sets out the rules surrounding the manufacturing, presentation and the sales of tobacco and replated products (Including vaping related items). The goal is to improve the tobacco market and achieve public health objectives.

NOTIFICATION PROCESS

The Notification of TPD states manufacturers and importers must relay to the member state a wide range of information, including;

• Formulation of commercial and production data
• Toxicology testing of each ingredient
• Chemical analysis of each ingredient
• Nicotine analysis.
  

Once a product has been notified it is not automatically approved for sale, Member states (The country the product is to be sold in) then have six months to study the tests and data provided with particular attention to the danger factor of a product. Once these six months have passed the member state can release the product for sale.


PRODUCT COMPLIANCE

Product Compliance as below:
·E-liquid nicotine concentration is limited to 20 mg/ml (2%)
·E-liquid capacity of Tanks/Cartridges cannot be more than 2 ml
·E-liquid volume of bottles containing nicotine cannot be more than 10 ml
·Products (including devices and bottles) must be child-proof and tamper-proof
·Bottle possess securely attached nozzle at least 9 mm long
·Flow control of bottle emits no more than 20 drops of refill liquid per minute

PACKAGING AND LABELING

To comply with the TPD, electronic cigarettes and refill containers must show safety mechanisms such as child-proof structure, warranty seal, protection against breakage, anti-loss mechanism, recharging mechanism.
Furthermore, illustrative leaflets, unit packs and any external packaging must include specific information like list of ingredients, health warnings, etc. Also follow the obligations (size, font, etc.) defined by the TPD and its national transpositions.
* A warning shall appear on 2 largest surfaces of the unit packet and any outside packaging and cover >30% of the surface of the unit packet.