ECO-FRIENDLY WET WIPES MAKER RAMPS UP PRODUCTION
AUSTRALIAN-made plasticfree and compostable wet wipes are being pitched as a solution to the damaging environmental impact of traditional wet wipe products.
Business partners Corey White and Phil Scardigno joined forces last year to establish The Hygiene Co, which manufactures a range of eco-friendly wet wipe products at its facility in Adelaide.
Unlike traditional wet wipes, which contain plastic materials, The Hygiene Co’s wipes use plant-based fibres.
Mr White said the company’s wipes were more than 53 per cent less carbonintensive than traditional wipes, which were mostly imported from overseas.
He said Plastic Free July, which challenges consumers to reduce their use of plastics, served as a timely reminder of the damaging impact of plastics on the environment.
“Each year, more than 25 million kilograms of plastic finds its way into landfill from imported wet wipes,” he said.
“This is well over 30 times that of plastic straws. It is time to make a change.
“The irony in importing these wipes is that 75 per cent of the wipe is water. We are paying a fortune and creating more than 10,000 tonnes of CO2 every year to basically import water.”
The Hygiene Co’s initial focus has been on supplying its range to supermarkets for their trolley cleaning needs, and also to gyms and fitness centres, such as the YMCA in South Australia, for wiping down equipment.
In October the company will begin manufacturing a soft pack variety, including baby wipes and everyday cleaning wipes, with agreements in place with stockists including the Foodland network and Chemist Warehouse.
Mr Scardigno, who has a background in manufacturing eco-friendly building products, said his company was also producing medical-grade wipes, which had the potential to be exported overseas.