Consumer support for banning plastic microbeads has grown globally over recent years. This has prompted policy makers and the industries that use them to take action. Global personal care companies in particular have taken note of the environmental concerns, raised by researchers and NGOs, with many announcing commitments to phasing them out. Since 2013, studies on the environmental impact of plastic microbeads have been published and NGO campaigns on the issue have surfaced, with much of the focus on the personal care products that contain them. As a result, national legislation is starting to emerge around the world. The US, for example, has recently banned the sale and use of plastic microbeads in “rinseoff” cosmetics. Canada, meanwhile, has proposed that microbeads should be added to its list of toxic substances. And in Europe, the Netherlands is pushing for an EU-wide ban, while the Swedish Chemicals Agency (Kemi) has proposed a national ban.
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