Europe mulls laws to tackle microplastic scourge

摘要

The European commission has launched a study to determine whether EU regulations are needed to ensure that the use of microplastics in consumer products is phased out as soon as possible to protect marine ecosystems. The announcement comes after five nations -Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Sweden and Luxembourg - issued a joint statement in December calling for the EU to ban microplastics and their chemical additives in products such as cosmetics and detergents. The nations defined microplastics as 'various particles of plastic with a diameter below 5mm'.