The standard GOST R 58109-2018, formulated by Russia, a member of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), has been adopted as the technical specification of electronic cigarette products by the Union's draft Technical Regulation on Nicotine containing Products in August this year.

Product Technical Specifications

The standards required for the application and implementation of the Technical Regulations on Nicotine containing Products of the Eurasian Economic Union include three Russian national standards and one ISO standard, as follows:

a. GOST R 58109-2018 General Technical Specification for Liquid of Electronic Nicotine Delivery System;

b. GOST R 57458-2017 General Technical Specifications for Heated Tobacco Products;

c. GOST R * * General Technical Specifications for Unpacked Nicotine containing Oral Products (the standard is still under development);

d. GOST ISO 8317-2019 Requirements and Test Procedures for Re packagings of Child Resistant Packages.

Scope of application and basic requirements

a. Scope of application: GOST R 58109-2018 is applicable to electronic nicotine delivery system (ESD) liquids, but not to ESD liquids containing tobacco or related to drugs;

b. Basic requirements: The manufacturing of the technical instructions and formulas of the specific products by the ESDN liquid manufacturer must comply with the requirements of the standards and the safety requirements specified in the normative legal documents of the Russian Federation.

Raw material requirements

The raw materials used to manufacture the ESD liquid shall comply with

a. Nicotine or nicotine salt, purity not less than 98%;

b. Propylene glycol, purity not less than 95%;

c. Glycerol, purity not less than 94%;

d. Other ingredients allowed to ensure that the ESDN liquid meets the characteristics defined by the manufacturer.

Basic packaging requirements

a. The ESDN liquid is subcontracted, bottled or directly pre filled into the electronic cigarette appliance by the manufacturer in an industrial manner;

b. The liquid storage bottle shall comply with the requirements of GOST ISO 8317 to ensure that children are prevented from opening without obstacles;

c. Partial packaging, liquid storage bottle and electronic cigarette filled with ESD liquid in an industrial way shall ensure no liquid leakage;

d. The manufacturer shall determine the list of possible visual defects in subpackages, liquid storage bottles and consumer packaging and the evaluation method.

Packaging material requirements

Batch packaging, bottles and consumer packaging of products shall be

a. Carton labels according to GOST 7933;

b. Cartons, paper and composite materials conforming to GOST 33781;

c. Flat cardboard for packaging according to GOST 9421;

d. Packaging paper conforming to GOST 8273;

E. Polymer film conforming to GOST 26996;

f. Polymer consumer packaging conforming to GOST 33756;

g. To ensure product safety, other packaging materials including imported packaging materials are also allowed to be used.

Consumer Packaging Requirements

The consumer packaging of the ESD liquid shall be marked

a. Product type, name, unit quantity (for products packaged in batches), name and address of manufacturer, name and address of organization registered in the Russian Federation to accept consumer claims or authorized manufacturer;

b. ESDN liquid volume (in cm3) and nicotine content in liquid (in mg/cm3);

c. Description in accordance with GOST R 58109-2018;

D. Production date (month and year);

e. Signs: "No sale to minors", "Keep out of the reach of children", etc;

f. Warning: "nicotine addiction" (for nicotine containing liquid), written in black capital letters on a white background;

g. If the above information cannot be printed on the package of consumer goods, it shall be included in the information manual in the package of consumer goods;

H. The listed information shall be written in Russian, and the contents of the registered trademark or design shall be in the registered language.

Transportation packaging requirements

The transport package of the ESD liquid shall be marked

a. Product category, name, manufacturer's name and address, product quantity information (for products packaged in batches), and the total amount of liquid contained in consumer packaging in transport packaging;

b. Other reliable information can be attached to the transport package;

c. The transportation package and accessories shall be firmly sealed to ensure the safety of the product during transportation and storage.

Transportation and storage requirements

a. The products shall be transported by various transportation methods according to the cargo transportation rules of the applicable transportation methods;

b. The transport packaging of products loaded in the means of transport must be stacked in a way that does not deform the bottom drawer;

c. During stacking and storage, the shape of the stacking shall be able to prevent deformation of the bottom layer;

d. The manufacturer may also specify additional requirements for the storage and transportation of products.

Russia, a major member of EAEU, believes that the supervision of new tobacco products is imperative. The TR EAEU/20 draft and relevant product technical specifications released this time also confirm that the Eurasian Economic Union has preliminarily established a control system for new tobacco products. Relevant enterprises interested in the economic zone market can pay close attention to the legal regulation/revision and implementation progress to ensure the smooth export of products in compliance.