The Tiniest Footprint™ initiative aims to reduce and, ultimately, eliminate plastic from all Huggies® baby wipes within five years or sooner. Huggies® baby wipes already contains up to 47% less plastic than other leading baby wipe brands and is made from at least 65% natural wood pulp fibres.

"We need urgent action to address plastic pollution," says Morné van Emmenes, marketing manager in the Kimberly-Clark Baby Care Category. "So, we are doing extensive research to see how we can make our wipes even more environmentally friendly, gentle on babies' skin and still affordable for the families that rely on them."

"We are working to improve our environmental impact by reducing our reliance on single-use plastic, with a vision to transition to fully sustainable packaging across our wipes portfolio," adds van Emmenes. 

Huggies® says that it will make all wipes packaging recyclable by the beginning of 2021 and commits to making all of its baby wipes packaging fully recyclable at home with household recycling within five years.

To achieve the long-term goal of eliminating plastic, the brand is working with universities, suppliers and other partners to develop new, eco-friendly materials to replace the plastic in all its wipes.

The other component of the Tiniest Footprint™ initiative, launched with Huggies® agency Ogilvy Johannesburg, involves partnering with customers to reduce the environmental footprint of its products.

"We call on our customers to work with us to ensure that neither wipes nor packaging end up as litter, by disposing of them responsibly," says van Emmenes.

According to the brand, parents can join the efforts initiated by Huggies® by following three steps:
  • Never flush wipes but always dispose of them in the waste bin to prevent them from ending up in the sewers or oceans.
  • Recycle all multipacks of six and 12 wipes (carton).
  • Reduce plastic waste by choosing Huggies®.
"We know that baby wipes are an essential part of daily childcare routine for many South Africans," van Emmenes concludes. "By switching to Huggies® Wipes from leading-brand baby wipes, each household in South Africa could save the equivalent of 204 plastic straws a year."

For more information, visit www.huggies.co.za. You can also follow Huggies® on Facebook, Twitter or on Instagram.