New Requirements for Child Resistant Lighters and Novelty Lighters

• From the 11th March 2007 there has been a ban on the placing on the European market of novelty lighters and lighters without a child-resistant mechanism. This only affects those who import or manufacture cigarette lighters.
• Retailers can, for the time being, continue to sell non child-resistant lighters and novelty lighters already in the supply chain, but it is very likely they will be totally banned after 11th March 2008.

‘Already in the supply chain’ means that the imported lighters have cleared Customs, and lighters made in the EU have left the manufacturer and are ready for general distribution.

Retailers may still be able to buy non child-resistant lighters from your wholesaler or supplier. These, and existing stock can legally be sold to the public, until the total ban comes in. However, all cigarette lighters sold must be safe and meet the requirements of the standard EN 9994:1996 or a later version.

If re-stocking with chid-resistant lighters, retailers must be able to show a Trading Standards Officer where those lighters came from, if asked.

A useful booklet on this topic has been issued by the UK Departrment of Trade and Industry. It can be viewed here.

New requirement for lighters

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