Declared “toxic” in Canada, and a future ban in the UK, microbeads are high on the sustainability agenda globally. Two of our colleagues – based in Canada and the UK – summarize the story to date.

There’s gathering interest in microbeads – from international campaigns such as the Marine Conservation Society and Beat the Microbead, to pending regulations, growing product lists, and ongoing research into their ecosystem impacts.

These activities have put pressure on manufacturers that use them in their products. Cosmetic and other personal care product manufacturers have been particularly targeted, since these miniscule 'balls of plastic' are used extensively in toothpastes, scrubs, exfoliants and cleansers for their abrasive properties - which literally go down the end consumer’s drain and enter municipal wastewater streams.

Too small to be retained by standard sewage treatment filters, microbeads ultimately end up in the oceans, waterways and food chains of 280^[1] marine species where they cause substantial problems to invertebrates, fish and birds and potentially enter the human food chain^[2] too.

How to spot microbeads on ingredient’s lists

If you’re trying to spot them on the ingredients list of products – names to look out for are polyethylene (PP), polypropylene (PTFE), polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and nylon. In just one shower, it’s a scary thought that up to 100,000 microbeads could ultimately enter the oceans^[3].

So what's happening with Microbeads?

Canada

The latest action in Canada against microbeads has come from the Federal Government of Canada listing microbeads as “toxic” under the Environmental Protection Act.

In a move to follow similar efforts in the United States and Europe, the Canadian Government is “targeting plastic beads that are smaller than five millimetres in size found specifically in personal care products like exfoliants and cleansers^[4]” by:

• Forbidding the manufacture and import of personal care products containing microbeads into Canada by 2017
• Banning the sale of such products in Canada by the end of 2018

Of course, legislative changes have a significant business impact for personal care product companies. In 2014, about 100,000 kg of plastic microbeads in exfoliants and cleansers were imported into Canada, with up to another 10,000 kg^[5] used domestically in the manufacturing of personal care products.

Several member companies of the Canadian Cosmetics, Toiletries and Fragrance Association (CFTA) will be directly affected by the government’s planned actions and already, many of the “heavy users” of microbeads have begun to respond. Some CFTA members will cease the use of microbeads in their products (Colgate-Palmolive and L'Oréal) while others are actively phasing them out within the next 2-3 years (Unilever, Procter & Gamble and Johnson & Johnson).

So that’s a snapshot of the Canadian response. A quick hop over the Atlantic and we’re in the UK…

UK

… Where it’s estimated around over 680 tonnes of microbeads^[6] are used every year.

After calls from a number of environmental groups, Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom, on 3 September 2016, announced plans to ban the sale and manufacture of cosmetics and personal care products containing microbeads^[7]. This will follow a consultation at the end of 2016 with industry, environmental groups and other relevant parties to detail how the ban should be introduced. Evidence will also be collected on the environmental impact of microbeads found in household cleaning products, and the overall aim is for legislation on microbeads to be changed next year.

25 UK cosmetics and toiletries companies have already taken steps to voluntarily phase out microbeads, while several retailers are stopping the sale of products containing microbeads7.

In October 2015, a decision was made by the UK CFTA to remove plastic microbeads from cosmetic products where they may reach the marine environment. So far, the UK cosmetics industry has achieved a 70% reduction in their use^[8].

And those in the UK will know that the announcement of the UK ban on microbeads follows the introduction of the 5p plastic bag charge which started in October 2015. Of course, a ban on microbeads and fewer plastic bags won’t end the ultimate menace of plastic in the oceans, but they are definitely steps in the right direction.

What’s next for the menace of microplastic?

Microbeads are not the only plastic menace. Clothing microfibers – another microplastic – are also on the agenda (discussed in our earlier blog post). First hailed as a way to reuse plastic bottles, studies have shown that, in clothes made using recycled plastics, microfibers are released during washing which enter wastewater treatment plants. While this is taking clothing manufacturers back to the drawing board, there are natural alternatives to microbeads such as seeds and nut shells and also technological fixes to microfibers for example a nanoball to collect fibres^[9], which need to be considered.

Whether you’re in Canada, the UK, or anywhere else, governments globally will expect manufacturers to alter their products to comply with new legislation on microplastics. And further bans, alongside growing consumer awareness around microplastics, is no doubt the future.

While stakeholder and regulatory pressures are driving action to remove microbeads from products, United Nations experts offer that a circular economy approach is the best and cheapest way to reduce the amount of microplastics ending up in the oceans^[10] – encouraging an overall improvement in the management of waste plastics in general.

Will your business be affected by the current regulatory actions on microbeads in the UK and Canada? How will you respond?

Our Anthesis experts are happy to support your business moving from a position of liability to resilience. Whether you’re beginning to assess the business implications of specific regulation; looking to identify impact hotspots across your product life cycle; wish to augment your product sustainability strategy to embed circular economy principles; or would like to “up your game” via product innovation – we can help!

Read more about how we are helping our clients manage their microbeads and other related product risk and integrating circular economy strategies.

For Further information on the topic of Microbeads, get in touch with Senior Consultant Curtis Harnanan, or atlernatively, use our fill out form below.