UK to ban microbeads in cosmetic products

Written on 7th August 2017. Posted in Featured, News.

The United Kingdom government is to introduce a ban on the sale and manufacture of microbeads in cosmetic and personal care products, including tooth pastes, later this year.

Environment secretary Michael Gove announced July 21 that the ban on the tiny pieces of plastic, which can be swallowed by marine life, is part of the government’s pledge to reduce plastic waste in oceans.

The ban will be effective June 30, 2018, a day before a similar ban takes effect in the United States.

Gove’s comments came on the same day as new figures revealed that more than nine billion fewer plastic bags were used since the government introduced a 5 pence charge in October 2015. This showed an 83 percent drop in plastic bag consumption.

Speaking at WWF UK on July 21, Gove pledged to deliver a “Green Brexit,” part of which would be to fight the 8 million metric tonnes of plastic discard into oceans.

In response to the announcement, Greenpeace UK said the decision marked a victory for its “microbeads campaign.”

In a blog written by Louisa Casson, the environmental organization said the decision was the “the strongest ban on microbeads in the world to date,” as it also covered biodegradable plastics.

“It’s crucial that ministers have left the door open to broaden the ban in future to all products that go down the drain – not just cosmetics and personal care products that are classified as ‘rinse-off’ like body scrubs and shower gels,” Casson added.

Article written by Shahrzad Pourriahi (Plastics News Europe) and posted on Plasticsnews.com on 24 July 2017

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