Microbeads ban is great news, but plastics problem is still enormous

Publication date: 21st July 2017

Commenting on the government proposal published today to ban microbeads from personal care and cosmetic products, Greenpeace UK oceans campaigner Louisa Casson said:

“The UK government has just proposed the strongest ban on microbeads in the world to date. This is great news for our environment and a positive sign of Britain’s global leadership on ocean plastics.

“It’s crucial that ministers have left the door open to broadening the ban in future. To achieve a fully comprehensive ban covering all products that go down the drain, we need companies to be much more transparent about whether their products contain harmful microbeads.

“This week, new figures reminded us of the enormous scale of the plastic problem, with the vast majority of all plastic made since 1950s polluting our land and seas or buried in landfill. Now that ministers have acknowledged the broader need to end ocean plastics, they should take swift action to tackle the mountain of single-use plastic bottles threatening our oceans by introducing a deposit return scheme.”

ENDS

Contact: Greenpeace UK head of news Stefano Gelmini on 07506 512442 and at sgelmini@greenpeace.org