Microbead ban is making waves this week
Published on 11th Jan 2018
9 January saw the unveiling of the government’s latest step towards tackling plastics pollution. The microbead ban came into force on Wednesday this week amid growing concern over the impact of plastics on our planet – a hot topic at the moment especially following the BBC’s Blue Planet II.
The legislation is part of a wider drive to reduce plastic pollution in our marine environments and in the short term it puts the issue of plastic pollutants firmly in the spotlight. Affected industries, in particular the pharmaceuticals industry, will need to ensure it is complying with the new legislation and taking notice of the government’s future intentions – May says there is still more to be done.
The ban on manufacturing products containing microbeads is effective immediately and selling them will be prohibited from 30 June 2018. The sanctions for non-compliance include monetary penalties, compliance notices, stop notices and enforcement undertakings.
Kiera Taylor and Caroline Bush comment further on the ban in this article, published by LexisNexis.
