Baby wipes are regulated as a cosmetic product, and as such the formulation’s ingredients are required to be listed on the packaging. With the aid of a smartphone many parents are correctly asking plenty of questions about those ingredients and doing their own research. Websites like the EWG (Environmental Working Group) Skin Deep database at https://ewg.org/skindeep are a great resource for this. Brands with questionable ingredients can easily be found and boycotted by consumers.

What is less researched is the actual fabric that makes up the wipe. Most brands use a non-woven fabric that is majority polyester – that’s right, plastic that originates from petroleum. This does not break down in soil, and contributes to a planet that is in a lot of trouble due to overconsumption of plastic products. Most parents would prefer to use a compostable option that will break down in proper soil conditions (though many landfills do not have great composting conditions). The wipes fabrics that are compostable are made from viscose, which is a material derived from either bamboo or wood pulp.

Given wood pulp often comes from illegal logging operations that are destroying our planet and its complex ecosystems, Joonya ensures its viscose is FSC 100% certified. This is an important certification from the Forest Stewardship Council which ensures the wood used in making our viscose is sourced from sustainably harvested forests. There are several forest sustainability schemes in existence, but some are run by the logging industry and lose all credibility as such. The FSC scheme is widely considered to be the most rigorous and trustworthy scheme. It’s not cheap to join, and many brands fraudulently use the trademark, so always be on the lookout for a license code that goes with the FSC logo. If there is no license code showing, there’s a big red flag! If they are lying about this, what else are they lying about?

So when you make your decisions on who to buy wipes from, make sure you do your research and be wary of ‘green washing’ with claims like “World’s Purest”, or “99.9% Water”. These phrases are just marketing gimmicks. When delving deeper, these kinds of brands (you know who I’m talking about) are using questionable ingredients and are often using a fabric made from 100% polyester!