Boots to stop selling plastic-based wet wipes in UK

theguardian.com:

The high street chemist Boots is joining the ranks of retailers vowing to stop selling all wet wipes that contain plastic fibres, as part of efforts to cut non-biodegradable waste.

The retailer said it was committing to stop selling all wet wipes containing plastic by the end of the year and would replace them with plant-based alternatives.

Wipes are often flushed down the toilet by consumers, causing environmental damage by blocking sewers and waterways.

Boots said it is one of the biggest sellers of wet wipes in the UK, having sold more than 800m over the last year online and in its 2,200 stores, from 140 product lines across its skincare, baby, tissue and health care ranges. It said its sales represented about 15% of all beauty face wipes sold in the UK.

The move follows Boots’ earlier decision to reformulate its own-brand ranges of wipes. It has written to its suppliers in the UK and Ireland to ask them to follow suit.

The company, which is owned by the US health group Walgreens Boots Alliance, is joining other retailers including Tesco and the health food chain Holland & Barrett in banning the sale of plastic-based wipes. The Body Shop beauty chain has also phased out all face wipes from its shops.

Steve Ager, the chief customer and commercial officer at Boots UK, said its customers were becoming more aware of their impact on the environment: “They are actively looking to brands and retailers to help them lead more sustainable lives.

“We removed plastics from our own-brand and No7 wet wipe ranges in 2021, and now we are calling on other brands and retailers across the UK to follow suit in eliminating all plastic-based wet wipes.”

It is estimated that as many as 11bn wet wipes are used in the UK each year, with the majority