The e-cigarette manufacturer Juul may continue to deliver any new cartridges for his e-cigarettes. The district court Dusseldorf rejected a contradiction of the company against the September imposed ban on sales of cartridges without electronic waste symbol on the plastic housing.
The court affirmed in its decision the view that the previous labeling is not sufficient. However, the court not only lacked the electronic waste symbol on the cartridges. Also, the brand name Juul must be found there in the future. Juul announced appeal against the decision.
Juul had previously printed the garbage bin symbol only on the outer packaging of the cartridges. By contrast, a competitor had successfully applied for an injunction in September, while Juul had filed an opposition.
The problem for the manufacturer: The thumbnail-sized cartridges or Juul pods not only contain the nicotine-containing liquid responsible for the smoking experience, but are also provided with a heating coil, which is necessary for heating the liquid.
They must therefore not end up in household waste after use, but must be disposed of as electronic waste. This is indicated by the crossed-out wheelie bin symbol. Until new Juul cartridges with the required symbol - a crossed-out wheelie bin - are available, it can take weeks, according to Juul.
By the middle of November at the latest, cartridges would be available that met the requirements of the court. The sale of pods already available on the market is not affected by this ban, the manufacturer said.
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The sales ban on the cartridges had hit Juul at an inopportune time. Manufacturers of e-cigarettes are currently under increased scrutiny. In September it had become known that American authorities are currently examining nearly 100 cases of lung disease suspected of being related to the consumption of e-cigarettes.
Doctors also attribute deaths to the use of e-cigarettes, but it is unclear whether these cases actually used approved liquids or acquired illegal fluids and inhaled via the e-devices.
