Boots to ban all plastic-based wet wipes

Boots, which sold more than 800 million wet wipes in the last year, has announced that it will stop selling wet wipes containing plastic fibres by the end of the year and will replace them with plant-based biodegradable alternatives.

The health and beauty chain is one of the biggest sellers of wet wipes in the UK, accounting for up to 15 percent of all face wipes sold across the country, and it has more than 140 different lines stocked across skincare, baby, tissue and health care categories.

A large proportion of the 11 billion wet wipes used in the UK every year still contain some form of plastic, according to the Marine Conservation Society, and evidence suggests they are the cause of over nine in ten of the blockages in UK sewers. With that in mind, Boots has written to all its suppliers to eliminate unnecessary plastic from their wet wipe products.

Steve Ager, chief customer and commercial officer at Boots UK, said in a statement: “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.”

This is the latest move from Boots in its mission to be a more sustainable retailer and to help its customers to make simpler, more sustainable choices. This has included expanding its range of reusable and refillable alternatives in the last two years, such as offering reusable make-up remover pads, cleansing pads, baby reusable wipes and refillable cleansing products.