NEVER MADEWITH
PLASTIC BEADS
WHAT PLASTIC BEADS ARE
Plastic beads (sometimes called “microbeads”) are small, manufactured plastic pieces that may be solid beads or fillable sacks.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND THEM + WHY MADEWITH DOESN’T ALLOW THEM
Plastic Beads may be added to a range of personal care products like toothpaste, scrubs, exfoliators, bronzing creams, and body washes. They do not degrade in the environment and create a troubling amount of micro-waste in the oceans around the world, especially in the Pacific Garbage Patch.
WHERE THEY’RE BANNED OR RESTRICTED
The Microbead-Free Waters Act was passed in the United States in 2015. The act phases out microbeads by July 2017. This legislation only pertains to rinse-off products.
Other countries, such as Canada, France, New Zealand, Sweden, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom have also joined in banning plastic beads in beauty products.
“In December, 193 countries signed a UN resolution to eliminate plastic pollution in the sea, which calls for nations to take action to reduce the use of microbeads.” -CNN. [2]
WHERE WE'RE GETTING OUR INFORMATION
[1] FDA. The Microbead-Free Waters Act. (2015). https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetics-laws-regulations/microbead-free-waters-act-faqs
[2] CNN. The UK now has one of the world’s toughest microbead bans. (2018). https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/09/health/microbead-ban-uk-intl/index.html
[3] UN Environment Clean Seas campaign. (2017). https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/20882/Clean%20Seas%20campaign.pdf?sequence=6&isAllowed=y
[4] Government of Canada. Microbeads ban on sale or manufacture. (2017). https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/chemical-substances/other-chemical-substances-interest/microbeads.html
[5] China Law Insight. China to ban microbeads in cosmetics by the end of 2020. (2019). https://www.chinalawinsight.com/2020/01/articles/cosmetics/china-cosmetics-ban-on-microbeads-to-impact-sales-production
