Hails it as a step forward to ban plastic in their production

Fleur Anderson outside the local branch of Boots

Putney’s MP has welcomed the announcement by Boots that it will become the latest retailer to stop selling wet wipes containing plastic.

Fleur Anderson has been campaigning on this issue for some time. As well as having a global impact, non-biodegradable wet wipes cause a specific problem on the local foreshore and can combine with other materials to create ‘fatbergs’.

The move comes after Tesco made a similar pledge earlier this year.

Boots is one of the biggest sellers of wet wipes in the UK with over 140 different lines stocked across skincare, beauty, baby, tissue and health care categories. It is one of the leading sellers of beauty face wipes, With over 800 million wet wipes sold in the last year in its stores and online, representing up to 15% of all face wipes sold across the UK.

Ms Anderson, said, “It’s really wonderful news that Boots has announced they will be phasing out all plastic in their wet wipes by the end of this year.

“This has come hot on the heels of Tesco’s pledge to stop selling plastic containing wet wipes earlier this year. Altogether, Boots and Tesco sell around 5.6 billion individual wipes a year, so this will make a huge difference to the health of our marine environments and water systems.”

Steve Ager, Chief Customer and Commercial Officer, Boots UK, said, “Our customers are more aware than ever before of their impact on the environment, and 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. We all have a responsibility to protect our planet. By joining forces to inspire more positive action, we can collectively make a big difference.”

Sandy Luk, Chief Executive at the Marine Conservation Society, said, “It’s a fantastic step in the right direction for retailers, like Boots, to remove plastic from their own brand wet wipes and ask that all brands they stock do the same.

“Our volunteers found nearly 6,000 wet wipes during the Great British Beach Clean in September 2021, which is an average of 12 and a half wet wipes for every 100 metres of beach surveyed. The fact we’re still finding so many wet wipes on beaches shows that we need to remove plastic from wet wipes and move toward reusable options wherever possible, and it’s great that Boots are making commitments to this.”

It's really fantastic news that @BootsUK has announced they will stop selling plastic wet wipes by the end of the year ??

It follows a similar announcement from @Tesco earlier this year ??

I hope all other retailers will follow suit soon ??#BanPlasticInWetWipes pic.twitter.com/OcU3x5JOeM

— Fleur Anderson MP (@PutneyFleur) April 19, 2022

The MP pledge to continuing campaigning for a complete ban on plastics in wet wipes and also called on Wandsworth Council to introduce food waste collection across the borough to boost its recycling rate.

April 29, 2022