Lewes-based eco-friendly wet wipe company puts industry leviathans to shame

News, 4 November 2021 – With COP26 underway, FreshWipes, a small Lewes-based company that sells biodegradable wet wipes made of plant-based viscose, is putting industry giants to shame.

Wet wipes, which are used by millions of UK households daily, were put into the media spotlight this week when Fleur Anderson, Labour MP for Putney, called for wet wipes containing plastic to be banned. 

Fleur tweeted that 11 billion wet wipes are used each year in the UK, 90% of which contain plastic that is “causing untold damage to our water systems and marine environments.” 

FreshWipes founder, Liz Barnes, who only launched the company in March 2020, said it's high time the world's biggest manufacturers followed her example and put the planet before profit:

It's high time that the largest wet wipe manufacturers removed single-use plastic from their products altogether. Here at FreshWipes, we focus on making large, biodegradable adult body wipes, made of plant-based viscose. Our wipes biodegrade over 3-4 months compared to the decades it can take for plastic wipes to decompose. If we can do it as a small start-up, then I challenge some of the biggest manufacturers to do the same. Clearly, for them, profit is more important than the planet.”

FreshWipes are used for multiple different purposes, by staff in care homes and the disabled to HGV drivers and post-surgery cleansing. You can find out more at FreshWipes.