How Disposable Vapes Explain US-China Tensions

A video about the rise of Elf Bars and what it tells us about growing tensions between China and the US.

Disposable vapes have taken over. In just two short years, Elf Bar, Lost Mary and their various competitors have become a ubiquitous part of modern life.

In doing so, disposable devices have all but entirely displaced pod-based vapes like the Juul.

While many have noted the environmental impact of rechargeable devices being supplanted by single-use ones, there’s been less discussion of the geopolitical aspect to this switch.

Because, the fall of Juul and the rise of disposable vapes in its place not only marks a move from a pod-based vaping market to a disposable one, but from an American-owned vaping industry to a Chinese-owned one.