The Environmental Protection (Wet Wipes Containing Plastic) (England) Regulations 2025: impact assessment - RPC opinion (red-rated)
Regulatory Policy Committee (RPC) opinion of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ impact assessments (IA) in respect of proposals in the regulations laid (in draft) before Parliament on 16 September 2025
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The Government propose regulations to ban the supply and sale of wet wipes containing plastic, to reduce unnecessary plastic and microplastic pollution. The proposals extend existing regulation on restriction of the supply of single-use plastic straws and cotton buds, and a ban on the supply of plastic drinks stirrers, and would come into force 18 months after the regulations are made.
The Government have published an IA alongside the regulations. The RPC issued the above red-rated (not fit for purpose) opinion to the Department on 7 April 2025.
The RPC considers that the IA identifies a range of impacts and provides an appropriate level of analysis to support their quantification, and provides sufficient discussion of wider impacts including environmental, consumer, competition, innovation and trade, but it provides insufficient evidence to inform the decision not to exempt small and micro businesses from the regulations.
The IA identifies costs to business as: transition costs for retailers and producers of wet wipes containing micro-plastics; reduced profits: and transportation costs. Benefits to business are identified as profit gained from producing plastic-free wet wipes. The IA estimates the proposals to have an equivalent annual net direct cost to business of £46 million.