Ban on the supply and sale of wet wipes containing plastic: Final Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment

Section 2: Engagement and information gathering

Consultation and engagement

Within Scottish Government

The Marine Directorate has prepared this Final BRIA. Input has been sought from the Marine Directorate’s Analytical Unit, Scottish Government Legal Directorate, and the Constitution and UK Relations Division.

Across the UK and Devolved Governments

The text within this Final BRIA has been prepared in consultation with the UK Government, Welsh Government, and the Northern Ireland Executive.

Wider public sector

We have engaged with relevant areas of the wider public sector through the consultation and subsequently. This has included those with direct experience and direct interest in this proposed ban, including Scottish Water and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).

Business

The UK Government (Defra) has conducted individual engagement interviews and stakeholder group sessions with relevant businesses prior to, during, and following the consultation period, including those based in Scotland. These include manufacturers and retailers. A wide range of producers have engaged with the process and provided useful information and evidence which has fed into this analysis. We are satisfied that proportional efforts have been made to understand the wet wipes industry and that we can have confidence in the final estimates produced.

Public Consultation

A public consultation on the proposed ban, a partial BRIA, and a Strategic Environmental Assessment, was held from 14 October to 25 November 2023.

1,561 responses to the consultation were received through the survey hosted on Citizen Space and via email. A joint UK-wide government response to the consultation was published on 22 April 2024 and contained a summary of the consultation responses^[13]. Overall, over 93% of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed in support of a ban on the supply and sale of wet wipes containing plastic.