Boots has introduced a major change which will affect all of its 2,247 stores in the UK.
The beauty retailer has introduced a ban on makeup wipes or baby wipes containing plastic fibres and has reformulated its own-brand wipes to remove them.
Boots announced the pledge to remove "unnecessary plastic" in wet wipes, no matter the brand last year. and said it has "worked hard" to ensure the quality has not been compromised.
The retailer has managed to achieve this goal and now only sells bio-degradable, plant-based alternatives.
The pledge is part of Boot's overall plan to become a more sustainable retailer and minimise its impact on the environment.
Plastic fibres in wet wipes do not biodegrade, meaning that when disposed-of wipes enter the environment, they become a pollutant that is very hard to clean up.
The ban is hoped to minimise Boots' impact on the environment as biodegradable wet wipes instead use fibres that do break down naturally over time.
Natalie Gourlay, head of environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) at Boots said: “Boots believes that healthy communities need a healthy planet, we have a rich legacy of operating responsibly because we recognise it is the right thing to do.
"Together with our customers, we want to inspire positive action and encourage the little switches that make a big difference.”
Alongside this, Boots has also included clear instructions on its packaging of how to dispose of the wet wipes, with all Boots-brand wipes having the "do not flush" label printer on them.
Other flushable wipes designed for intimate use are developed to meet the "fine to flush" standard.
Before this, Boots had already removed the plastic from its own brand and No7 wet wipe products in 2021 but the latest change has extended it to include all the brands it sells.
According to Boots, it sells over 800 million wipes each year and over 10 billion wet wipes are used in the UK annually, most of which still contain plastic.
Labour Putney MP Fleur Anderson, who has been calling for a ban on wet wipes containing plastic since 2021, said she hopes the move by Boots would inspire other shops to do the same.
She said: "“A huge thanks to Boots and thanks especially to all of the staff who’ve been involved in delivering on your commitment to take plastic fibres out of Boots own brand, and then all the other brands sold at Boots.
“The damage that plastic in wet wipes does to our environment is huge, right from what they’re made from all the way through to seeing them on the banks of the river Thames as I have. I hope this move from Boots will inspire lots of other shops to do the same thing.”
