How we’ve led the fight for a ban
THE Daily Mail launched a campaign in August calling for a ban on the use of microbeads in cosmetic products, scrubs, gels and toothpaste.
Nine days later, Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom announced Britain would introduce a unilateral ban on the use of the plastic beads in personal care products.
She also agreed to investigate extending the ban to all other products that end up being flushed into sewers, such as laundry powder.
The campaign was triggered by a report from MPs from all parties on the Commons Environmental Audit Committee. It warned that trillions of beads are being flushed into the sewers, where they become a threat to wildlife and, potentially, human health.
The Mail, working with MPs, environment groups and academics, highlighted how the EU had dragged its feet on implementing a legal ban, instead leaving the issue to voluntary measures by manufacturers.
At the same time, retailers threw their weight behind the campaign by banning the beads from their own-label products.