Waitrose has become the first British supermarket to have its own-label wet wipes certified as “Fine to Flush” by Water UK. Waitrose’s fragrance-free moist toilet tissue refills and its lightly-fragranced moist toilet tissue refills have been given the certifications, a standard introduced in January this year by Water UK, which represents water companies across the country. The two products, which are both plastic-free, are available in stores from today and packs will soon carry the “Fine to Flush” logo. This means they have both passed the necessary tests that prove they break down quickly and easily in the sewer system. The tests are carried out by WRc, the independent technical experts who developed the flushability standards in conjunction with Water UK. Waitrose said it would work towards meeting guidelines to ensure the rest of its own-label flushable wipes met the “Fine to Flush” certification. The grocer added that wipes which are not designed to be flushed are already clearly labelled “do not flush”. “Wet wipes have become increasingly commonplace in UK households so it’s an issue we have to tackle and have been working on with our suppliers for some time,” Waitrose head of corporate social responsibility Tor Harris said. “We know we still have more work to do, but this is a big step forward and gives us a platform to build on for the rest of our range.” Marine Conservation Society called on other retailers to follow suit. Dr Laura Foster, the group’s head of clean seas, said: “It is great news that Waitrose & Partners has listened to the Marine Conservation Society’s call for own brand wipes labelled as ‘flushable’ to pass the water industry ‘Fine to Flush’ standard. “We now urge not only other retailers to follow suit, but also major, international brands. “Customers need to know that when they are instructed to flush, the product really is safe for UK sewers and won’t contribute to blockages and fatbergs.” The new wet wipes form part of Waitrose’s growing list of initiatives to tackle waste and non-recyclable plastic. It recently announced it was extending its Unpacked trial to new stores after a positive initial response, allowing more customers to do their grocery shopping in refillable containers. Waitrose also became the first UK supermarket to start selling eggs from pullets, otherwise known as hens that are less than a year old, as their first eggs are considerably smaller than an ordinary hen’s egg and often go to waste. Meanwhile, the grocer said all of its own-brand packaging will either be widely-recycled, reusable or home compostable by 2023. This includes removing black plastic from all its own-brand products by the end of 2019 and introducing compostable ready meal packaging. Single-use plastic bags for loose fruit and veg bags were replaced with a home compostable alternative in May and in March this year it removed all 5p single-use carrier bags. Click here to sign up to Retail Gazette‘s free daily email newsletter
Waitrose’s own-brand wet wipes have been certified as "Fine to Flush", becoming the first UK supermarket to achieve the standard. The supermarket’s fragrance-free and lightly-fragranced moist toilet tissue refill wipes break down quickly and easily and are therefore safe to enter the sewage system. WRc independently tested the products and Water UK certified the wipes as "Fine to Flush". This is the latest in Waitrose's sustainability initiatives, which have included an Unpacked trial to let customers shop using refillable containers and a commitment to remove black plastic from its own-brand products by the end of 2019.