KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysia Retail Electronic Cigarette Association (MRECA) urges the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) to give vape players at least one year to fulfil and comply with the standards for vape devices that were announced recently.
MRECA's comments follow KPDNHEP's announcement that local makers and importers of vape devices must obtain certification from SIRIM QAS International Sdn Bhd (SQISB) and that items must have SQISB's MS SIRIM labelling by 3 August 2022.
This requirement under the Trade Descriptions (Certification and Marking) of Electronic Cigarette Devices Order 2022 was gazetted on 5 April 2022.
MRECA president Datuk Adzwan Ab Manas said four months is insufficient for all the industry players to comply.
He said that while the SIRIM guidelines themselves state that the certification and testing process takes approximately 80 working days, this is not the same when it comes to having hundreds of companies trying to get certifications for thousands of products.
"It will be very challenging for SQISB to complete certification for so many players in a short period of time.
Furthermore, our members have also undergone a similar process, and it took six to eight months just for one product from one company to complete the testing and certification process.
"Therefore, this will be difficult for the industry to comply by 3 August 2022," he said in a recent statement.
Adzwan also said that the authorities did not consider the time needed for industry players to make changes to the production lines for products to adhere to the labelling requirements as products would need to be labelled with a SIRIM label that comes with a serial number which would only be granted after the testing and certification process is completed.
"Some industry players have more than four months of inventory stocks in warehouses, which would mean the industry players would suffer losses.
"Considering all these factors, we believe the industry needs one year to be fully transitioned.
"I am confident that the vape players in Malaysia will do whatever is necessary to get their products certified.
"Therefore, it is only right that the government is fair to them by giving them sufficient time to undergo the necessary steps," Adzwan pointed out.
In addition to requesting additional time, MRECA also urged the government to relook and review the standards as they are outdated.
"The standards announced were developed close to five years ago. Since then, the vape industry has seen multiple transformations that have improved the quality of vape devices.
"Therefore, we believe that the set of standards must be reviewed and updated while also ensuring that they are in line with international practices.
"The vape industry in Malaysia is made up of local entrepreneurs and has the potential to grow into a significant contributor to the country's economy," Adzwan said.
Therefore, he said the government must give the industry the proper support, information, and capacity to develop stronger.
"Otherwise, we may lose the opportunity to grow the industry to its true capability," Adzwan said.