Microplastics intentionally added to products will soon be restricted in the EU. During the REACH Committee meeting on 26 April, the representatives of the Member States approved the European Commission’s proposal for a regulation to this effect.
The European Parliament and the EU Council have a three-month review period, after which the regulation will enter into force immediately to restrict these substances, which are added to many everyday products (cosmetics, paints, detergents, medical products, etc.) and which are harmful to health and the environment, where they accumulate at the rate of 42,000 tonnes of microparticles per year.
The Rethink Plastic Alliance immediately welcomed the restriction, particularly for microplastics added to cosmetics and sports fields. However, it regretted that companies had taken too much time to implement the necessary changes.
“For example, make-up products can continue to contain microplastics for up to 12 years after the adoption of the restriction, even though cosmetic companies have stated that sustainable and effective alternatives are readily available on the market”, the NGO said in a statement.
It argued for a complete restriction including all microplastics, including nanoplastics and all non-essential uses, as recommended by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) in 2019 (see EUROPE 12183/6). (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)