HEAT ON MAY TO BAN TOXIC BEADS

Brussels says UK is free to act on plastic pollutants

THERESA May was under growing pressure to act last night after Brussels said Britain can introduce a ban on plastic microbeads.

It had been claimed Brussels would try to thwart any bid to outlaw the tiny plastic particles, claiming it flouted EU single market rules.

But in a breakthrough last night, the European Commission signalled its willingness to allow a British ban on beads used in shower gels, toothpastes and beauty products.

EU officials said Downing Street can introduce a ban under either existing cosmetic safety or environmental protection legislation if it shows they are a danger to human health or the sea.

Studies have shown that after microbeads are flushed into rivers and seas by the trillion, they attract toxins, threaten marine life and can reach the human food chain through fish.

The European Commission yesterday said Britain could stop products containing microbeads being sold using a safety clause in EU law.

Once the ban is introduced the country will be asked to justify why there is a threat to health and then the Commission will assess.

A spokesman said: ‘In the area of cosmetics, EU law foresees a safeguard clause which makes it possible for a member state to prohibit a product if it can justify that it presents a serious risk to human health.

‘A ban on certain substances on environmental grounds could also be compatible with the internal market.’

Other EU countries are already planning their own bans. France last month passed a law that will stop the sale of exfoliating cosmetic products that contain solid plastic particles from January 2018.

Swedish officials have determined that a national ban could be introduced without breaking EU rules on environmental protection grounds.

The city of Gothenburg has already gone ahead with its own prohibition on the sale of cosmetics including microbeads that came in in September last year. The UK Government had argued it was working toward bringing in an EU-wide ban but despite a willingness from member states there has been little progress in Brussels.

Catherine Bearder, a Lib Dem MEP, last night said the Brexit vote meant the Government had lost its excuse not to take immediate action. She said: ‘The UK Government can no longer hide behind the longterm prospect of an EU ban. Immediate action is needed in the UK to address the threat to our environment and human health posed by microbeads.

‘Andrea Leadsom, the Environment Secretary, must also face up to the consequences of Brexit, including the loss of influence over EU measures that protect our environment.’

Campaigners across Europe hope that if Britain implements a ban it will force wider action across the continent.

Jeroen Dagevos of the Plastic Soup Foundation in the Neth- erlands last night said: ‘What’s going on in the UK on microbeads at the moment is a big breakthrough.

‘ I am convinced this will accelerate the discussion of a European ban on microbeads and the UK ban will be used as a leading example.’

Karmenu Vella, the EU’s environment commissioner, has said he is examining the possibility of proposing new rules at some point next year, but he has admitted that he may just leave the cosmetics industry to draw up its own commitments for action.

‘This is a big breakthrough’