In April 2024, UK notified the WTO of a draft proposal to ban wet wipes containing plastic. Subsequently, on November 18, 2025, the UK government signed the ban into law through The Environmental Protection (Wet Wipes Containing Plastic) (England) Regulations 2025, which is scheduled to take effect on May 19, 2027.1
Designed to tackle plastic pollution, the ban prohibits businesses from supplying or offering to supply plastic wet wipes to consumers in England. The Regulation applies to wet wipes made of pre-wetted, non-woven fabric that are not intended for reuse. "Plastic" in this context refers to a material consisting of polymer as defined in Article 3(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH). These polymers may contain additives or other substances, and can serve as a primary structural component in the final products, excluding unmodified natural polymers.
Certain exemptions are included in the Regulation to ensure that plastic wet wipes remain available where necessary for medical and hygiene purposes, or for business use. Outlined in the table below are the exemptions and their associated conditions, with main revisions from the earlier draft proposal highlighted in red.
No. | Exemptions | Conditions |
1 | The supply of plastic wet wipes as part of a retail pharmacy business to an end user is exempted, subject to specified conditions. | The wet wipes containing plastic: (a) shall not be advertised to customers in England(except for display on a website for online sales); and (b) if supplied at a registered pharmacy— (i) shall not be kept in a place where they are visible to customers, or where customers can access them; and (ii) shall not be offered or provided to a customer unless the customer has requested them. |
2 | The supply of plastic wet wipes for medical purposes is exempted when it is supplied by: (a) a person for use by, or under the direction of, a healthcare professional; (b) a healthcare professional; or (c) a National Health Service (NHS) contractor. | / |
3 | The supply of plastic wet wipes to a business or local authority is exempted when it is supplied by a person for the purposes of that business or local authority. | / |
