Everyone knows how bad any kind of disposable wipes are to our environment; they end up in our oceans and rivers, causing havoc to our sewage systems and blocking up our loos.
So kudos to Holland & Barrett who have become the first high street chain to stop all sales of wet wipes.
The health food shop has announced plans that they are going to remove all of its 34-product wet wipe range from all of its 800 UK and Ireland stores from the end of September.
Joanna Cooke, Head of Beauty at Holland & Barrett, said: “The impact of single-use plastic on the earth is very evident, and so moving forward we will look to make our beauty offering as clean and conscious as possible.”
The store will instead fill its shelves with sustainable, reusable beauty alternatives, which includes cotton pads, unbleached cotton muslin cloths and exfoliating mitts, as part of its new green initiative.
You might remember, Holland & Barrett were the first on the high street to ban the use of plastic bags and microplastics and the store hopes its latest move will encourage more major retailers to do the same and ‘make the high street a more environmentally conscious place.’
According to the EarthWatch Institute and Plastic Oceans UK, around 9.3million wipes are flushed down toilets in the UK every day and they account for 80% of UK sewer blockages. Last year the Marine Conversation Society found an average of 12 wet wipes per 100m on UK beaches. Yikes!
Here’s to hoping more stores will join the fight and follow suit.
