The tobacco industry at the health–environment nexus: A framing analysis of the UK 'disposable' e-cigarette ban

The sharp rise in ‘disposable’, or single-use, e-cigarettes in the UK—especially among young people—has raised urgent public health and environmental concerns. Manufacturers, including transnational tobacco companies (TTCs), have faced criticism for designing and marketing products that appeal to youth and have a considerable environmental footprint. In response, a UK-wide ban on single-use e-cigarettes was implemented in June 2025. While industry resistance to health policy is well documented, this is the first study to examine how TTCs and TTC-linked actors responded to regulation framed around both health and environmental objectives. We analysed 21 submissions to three public consultations from four TTCs and 10 TTC-linked organizations. Drawing on a taxonomy of framing strategies from an evidence-based corporate political activity framework, we explored how these actors sought to shape policymakers’ perceptions of the problem and its solutions. TTCs and TTC-linked organizations positioned themselves as responsible actors aligned with public health and environmental goals while opposing the ban. Youth use and environmental harms were reframed as problems of individual noncompliance and enforcement failure. The ban was portrayed as disproportionate, procedurally flawed, economically harmful, and likely to increase illicit trade and tobacco use. Industry-preferred alternatives included measures targeting individual behaviour and product innovation. These findings add to evidence of a disconnect between TTCs’ claimed transformation and their continued resistance to regulation. Close collaboration between public health and environmental advocates is needed to pre-empt and counter industry framing and influence, and to advance regulation that promotes public and planetary health.