April 2016
It’s very important that we look after the marine environment, and so I’m pleased that the UK is working with our neighbours and industry to see the use of microbeads phased out voluntarily.
The plan is already working. Agreement was made to take action on micro plastics by the ‘Oslo and Paris Convention for the Protection of the North East Atlantic’, of which the UK is a member. Following this, the European trade body, Cosmetics Europe, issued a formal recommendation for its members to discontinue their use of microbeads, and noted that many had already done so.
