May 18--A maker of private-label wet wipes for retailers like Costco, CVS and Target has agreed to stop marketing them as "flushable" unless it can prove that they are, indeed, OK to flush.
The Federal Trade Commission on Monday announced a proposed agreement with Nice-Pak Products, of Orangeburg, N.Y., resolving its complaint against the company that its advertising claims -- that the products were safe for sewer and septic systems because they broke down after flushing -- were not tested in real-world conditions.
The company's products must undergo new tests proving the wipes are flushable before they can market them as such, according to the agency.
"The evidence didn't back up Nice-Pak's claims that their wipes were safe to flush," said Jessica Rich, director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection. "If you claim a product is flushable, it needs to flush in the real world, without clogging household plumbing or sewer and septic systems.
Several municipalities around the country have reported clogged sewer systems as a result of products marketed as "flushable."
