Ban on the supply and sale of wet wipes containing plastic: Strategic Environmental Assessment Post-Adoption Statement

3. Integration of environmental considerations

This section explains how key environmental considerations were identified and how these were taken into account in the decision to ban the supply and sale of wet wipes containing plastic in Scotland.

The proposed ban is informed by the intention to reduce the risk of harm to the marine environment and associated flora and fauna, and to reduce the risk of negative impacts on water quality. Environmental considerations were therefore integral to the development of this plan.

During the development of the proposed ban, the Scottish Government drew on responses provided to a number of public engagement exercises. In October 2020 the Scottish Government launched a public consultation on items listed under Article 5 of the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive. Responses from this consultation supported the development of legislation banning some of the most problematic single-use plastic products. Responses also provided evidence for further policy development, with 94% in favour of market restrictions on additional single-use plastic products, including wet wipes containing plastic^[8]. In Defra’s 2021 public Call for Evidence on commonly littered single-use plastic items, 96% of respondents supported a potential ban on wet wipes containing plastic. Defra published a response to the Call for Evidence in February 2023.^[9] In the joint UK-wide consultation on wet wipes in 2023, over 93% of respondents supported a ban on the supply and sale of wet wipes containing plastic^[10].

The Scottish Government also considered the progress the proposed ban could make towards meeting Scotland’s statutory environmental targets, including contributing to efforts to work toward achieving GES for marine litter under the UK Marine Strategy. At an international level, a ban would contribute to our work (as part of the UK) to protect and conserve UK territorial seas as part of the OSPAR Region.

The preparation of the Screening and Scoping Report and environmental baseline for the SEA ensured that environmental considerations were taken into account within the proposed ban. Subsequent consultation with the SEA Consultation Authorities assisted in confirming key environmental topics for further consideration in the assessment stage. Views on the Environmental Report were sought during the consultation and were used to inform the decision to ban the supply and sale of wet wipes containing plastic.