A SCOTTISH product claimed to be the world’s first 100 per cent environmentally-friendly soluble wet wipe that dissolves in seconds when immersed in water has been awarded the Fine to Flush accreditation by Water UK.

Fine to Flush is the official standard identifying which wet wipes can be flushed down toilets safely.

The inventor of these wet wipes, McCormack Innovation, recognises this accreditation as a pivotal milestone in the company’s development, giving it the industry recognition on which to take the wipes out to a global audience.

As well as being flushable, they are also biodegradable for landfill.

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Brian McCormack, managing director of McCormack Innovation, said: “This technology represents a game-changer for the world-wide market in disposable wipes.

"Citizens and industry alike are no longer willing to accept the catastrophic impact that conventional wet wipes are doing to the environment.

"Not only are they a marine pollutant and harmful to marine wildlife they are the principal cause of between 50% and 70% of sewer blockages and between 80% and 90% of all sewage pumping station failures.”

Mr McCormack said: “I am delighted to announce that our wipes have been awarded this vital accreditation.

"Whilst Fine to Flush is a UK standard, it is highly regarded throughout the world and is seen as a standard by which other countries can follow suit in raising the bar in the disposal of wet wipes in the water sewerage system.

"No thermoplastics were detected during the test process for our wipes.”

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Mr McCormack said: “Globally billions of wipes are used each year specifically in the medical sector. We targeted this challenging area, and after stringent testing by the water research centre were given Fine to Flush accreditation on our wipe for medical use.

"Moreover this medical wipe will pose no risk to the often expensive blockages caused by wipes within hospital settings worldwide.

"A leading international healthcare company has carried out successful biomedical tests on the wipe and are going ahead with patient trials and are very confident of the outcome.”

David Torrance, MSP for Kirkcaldy, said: “It is great to see environmental innovation like this being developed in Scotland which can have a global impact.

"It has fantastic potential. I have supported Brian’s work over a number of years and I am delighted to see his hard work and tenacity paying off.

"I have been very impressed by demonstrations I have seen. It will have a range of uses in the medical world as well as in the home.

"Success stories like Brian’s should be an inspiration for the local area.”

Commercial interest in the product has been astounding from across industrie, including a leading international healthcare company who have biomedically tested the product and are going ahead with patient trials.

McCormack Innovation is becoming recognised as a global game-changer and market disruptor with a suite of novel soluble materials for the medical and personal care markets.

The Scottish-based, award-winning, innovation company says it has developed revolutionary technology for the future use of disposable wipes and point-of-care medical testing kits and consumables.

The business has been supported by Business Gateway, Scottish Enterprise, Scottish Development International and Zero Waste Scotland.

The wipes will be manufactured by strategic partner, Guardpack, described as the UK’s most established contract manufacturer of individual wet wipe sachets, producing more bespoke and personalised wet wipe sachets than any other company since 1995.

McCormack Innovation will demonstrate its ground-breaking technology at the prestigious Hunter Foundation charity dinner on February 18 in Edinburgh where Sir David Attenborough is guest speaker.

Wet wipes are the principal cause of 50-70% of blockages in UK sewers.

There are around 300,000 sewer blockages each year, costing the country in excess of £100 million annually.

The largest "fatberg"  - solid masses of fat, wet wipes and grease - found in the UK to date was 820ft (250m) long fatberg weighing 130 tonnes which blocked a Victorian-era sewer in east London in 2017 and took nine weeks to remove.