Flintshire wet wipe manufacturer looks to debunk ‘outdated’ plastics claim

A Flintshire wet wipe manufacturer Nice-Pak International has contested claims that 90% of wet wipes contain plastic, stating that the figure is outdated and untrue.

The company, which produces a range of wet wipes for global brands and retailers, asserts that its UK output is already 90% free of plastic.

The firm, which operates factories in Flint and Wigan, has invested significantly to switch to plastic-free materials, with its UK plastic-free production growing from 9% to 90% across all categories in the past five years.

The commercial director of Nice-Pak International, Ian Anderson, welcomed the UK government’s forthcoming ban on plastic wipes but said that the 90% plastic figure was a fallacy that did not account for efforts to phase out plastic fibres. According to Nice-Pak International’s latest analysis, three-quarters of baby wipe products on UK shelves are now plastic-free.

“Combining this with our own numbers, it is clear that the 90% plastic figure is a fallacy,” Anderson stated.

The largest wipes category in the UK is baby wipes, accounting for 229 million packs, over half of which are manufactured by Nice-Pak International. Anderson added that the real challenge was in proper disposal rather than plastic content, noting that plastic-free products should not be flushed and that the only sustainable wipes that should be disposed of via the toilet are those approved under the water industry’s ‘Fine to Flush’ standard.

Anderson noted that his company has worked tirelessly with clients to ensure the correct labeling is used, and that non-flushable wipes are routinely marked ‘Do Not Flush.’ “Only sustainable wipes which are also approved under the water industry’s own ‘Fine to Flush’ standard should be disposed of via the toilet. Everything else should go into the waste bin,” he said.

Nice-Pak International founder Arthur Julius, an American chemical engineer, pioneered the wet wipe in the 1950s. For more information on Nice-Pak International, visit their website at www.nice-pak.co.uk, or their LinkedIn page at www.linkedin.com/company/130073.