"This plastic-free moist toilet tissue has been designed to meet the specific needs of the UK sewer system."
Matt Storey
Nice-Pak International, a wet wipe manufacturer, has been assigned a ‘Fine to Flush’ Manufacturer Generic Certificate for its flushable plastic-free moist toilet tissue products.
Being granted the accreditation on their SureFlush XP12 flushable wipes means any brand or retailer that uses the new technology will now be able to display the ‘Fine to Flush’ logo, subject to completion of confirmatory testing and entry into a trademark licence agreement.
The company, which has factories in North Wales and Lancashire as well as Germany and the United States of America, produces a range of wipes on behalf of brand owners and retailers.
The ‘Fine to Flush’ standard was introduced by Water UK, which represents water companies across the country. It gives consumers a clear signal that products can be safely flushed, giving peace of mind that they will not create blockages or fatbergs.
Matt Storey, Nice-Pak’s research and development head of nonwoven, whose team made the breakthrough, said: “We are delighted to have attained this certification on SureFlush XP12 following two years of hard work and collaboration with the Water Research Centre (WRc).
“This plastic-free moist toilet tissue has been designed to meet the specific needs of the UK sewer system.”
WRc are the Swindon-based independent technical experts which developed the flushability standard in conjunction with Water UK earlier this year.
WRc’s senior consultant Andy Drinkwater said: “The certification of Nice-Pak's SureFlush XP12 is a most welcome step forward.
“The product is very different from many traditional wipes in terms of its flushability credentials. This product, along with a number of other recently certified products, really does represent a step change from the manufacturers.
“Retailers should be confident that by using SureFlush XP12, and subject to confirmatory testing, their own branded products should be ‘Fine to Flush’ compliant.”
‘Fine to Flush’ certification is only granted for the small minority of wet wipes which are designed to be flushed and have passed the rigorous seven step process required by the standard.
The vast majority of wipes including baby wipes, make up removal wipes and household cleaning wipes are not designed to be flushed and should be disposed of in a bin.
Nice-Pak actively encourages compliance with the industry Code of Practice on ‘Do Not Flush’ labelling and supports industry-wide awareness on responsible product disposal.
This year, the company has also launched the UK’s first fully recyclable packaging for wet wipes as well as introduced plastic-free wipes via its Aqualettes range.
