In our previous blog post we talked about how more people will come together this year to help tackle the social issue of the Plastics crisis.

The Plastics crisis is spiralling out of control, as plastic is present in so many of the everyday products we take for granted.

Although I have read lots of articles and research about plastics and the devastating impact single use plastic has, I was surprised to read recently about plastic in wet wipes.

The article I came across was on the BBC with the headline ‘Wet Wipes could face wipe-out in plastic clean-up’. It was published in May 2018, and I only came across it a few days ago.

There are lots of products I would associate with plastic, but a soft wet wipe used for cleaning was not one of them.

Plastic element

The plastic within them can contain different types of plastic such as polyester and polyethylene and the problem lies within the fibres, as explained by Friends of the Earth.

Damage to environment and consumer’s pockets

Not only do they contribute to destroying the environment, but the problem eats away at our money too. As reported in the Independent, an in-depth investigation found that wet wipes being flushed down the toilet were the biggest culprit of sewage blockages, which adds £100 million to water bills each year.

The plastic wet wipe is toxic to us in more ways than one.

The reaction

I have used wet wipes and do sympathise with those that rely on them as they are extremely practical, but how many of us are aware of the lethal impact from the plastic?

An article by the Telegraph says the UK Government has declared it would work to eliminate the wet wipe entirely, which has angered parents who use them for their babies. Charities however, have stated they hope the ban would encourage companies to develop eco-friendly wipes.

That’s when the Social Enterprise comes in. Where there is a social problem, there is an opportunity.

In part 2 of this blog post we are going to run through how the social issue of the plastic wet wipe can be integrated into the Social Enterprise model, to become a business opportunity.

Click here to read more.

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