Boots UK has pledged to stop selling all wet wipes in-store and online that contain plastic fibres by the end of the year.

Boots is currently one of the biggest sellers of wet wipes in the UK, with over 140 different lines stocked in store.

After selling over 800 million wet wipes last year in-store and online, the multiple has announced its pledge to replace the plastic wipes with plant-based biodegradable alternatives by the end of 2022.

Steve Ager, chief customer and commercial officer at 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.’

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,’ she added

‘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’, she explained.

In March, The Pharmacist reported that as many as 260 pharmacies across England and Scotland now recycle injection pens as part of a new green scheme.

Novo Nordisk launched the recycling scheme in pharmacies across the UK in November to help reduce the number of plastic injection pen devices ending up in landfills.

In February, pharmaceutical company Chiesi, launched a pilot scheme that enabled patients to dispose of and recycle their inhalers through the post.

This came after the Primary Care Respiratory Society (PCRS), called for better processes and information on how and where to recycle, safely dispose and return inhalers to help ‘reduce landfill, wasted medication and release of harmful propellants and gases’.

Earlier this year, The Pharmacist spoke to pharmacists from Pharmacy Declares, who called for the sector to focus more on clinical services than recycling if they want to save the planet.