07/08/2017
Trading Standards will regulate compliance with, and enforcement of, the bans on the manufacture and sale of plastic microbeads* in cosmetics and personal care products when they come into force in England on 1 January 2018 (for manufacture) and 30 June 2018 (for sales). The devolved administrations are selecting their own enforcement mechanisms, regulators and timescales.</>
The timescale in England for the ban is unchanged from that proposed in the original consultation but other elements of the proposed regime have been revised to reflect feedback from the consultation, which closed on 28 February 2016.**
The main features are
- precise new definitions of ‘microbead’, ‘plastic’ and ‘rinse-off personal care products’ to help define the scope of the ban clearly
- the scope of rinse-off products has been retained but Defra is working with the Hazardous Substances Advisory Committee to assess the scope for addressing other product categories
- enforcement in England will be supported by a range of sanctions, including variable monetary penalties, compliance notes, stop notices and undertakings
** ‘Proposals to ban the use of plastic microbeads in cosmetics and personal care products in the UK and call for evidence on other sources of microplastics entering the marine environment: Summary of responses, July 2017’
* Microbeads are small particles of plastic commonly used in personal care products such as face scrubs and toothpastes. They are also used in industrial blasting processes where abrasive materials are propelled under high pressure to remove surface materials such as paint. Too small to be filtered out in sewage treatment systems, a proportion of them are washed out into the marine environment.