Together with fellow forward-thinking cosmetics businesses, Weleda is spearheading an open letter to the European Commission urging them to strengthen upcoming legislation around microplastics by banning them completely in beauty products.
Weleda believes the upcoming legislation to restrict the use of intentionally added microplastics does not go far enough and is unnecessarily lenient on brands that continue to use microplastics in production that cause irreversible pollution.
The continuous use of microplastics, including liquid plastics, is not only completely unnecessary, as Weleda has proved for over 100 years, but causes negative and irreversible damage to our ecosystems and may pose a risk to human health. Recent studies found that 9 out of 10 care products STILL include microplastics.
In Europe alone, 7kg of plastics from cosmetics are flushed into the environment EVERY MINUTE.
Microplastics have been found in the human blood, lungs and even the placenta.
Nataliya Yarmolenko, Chief Commercial Officer at Weleda says: “
Together with fellow microplastics-free brands, we urge the European Commission to implement decisive, consistent, and rapid introduction of microplastic-free legislation as a matter of urgency. We feel there is no justification for the exceptionally long 12-year transition period when certified natural cosmetics brands such as Weleda show that working without using microplastics at all has always been possible. We know that consumers share our passion for genuine sustainability, with 90% of shoppers believing ethics-related considerations are important when buying beauty products. The Beauty industry and others needs to prioritize alternatives to microplastics, so that we can move forward as an innovative, collective, planet friendly beauty industry.”
Madhuri Prabhakar, Microplastics Campaigner at Plastic Soup Foundation:
“We all deserve to live in an environment free of microplastics, whether on our beaches, in the air we breathe or in our products – especially when microplastics are not necessary. Brands like Naïf, Weleda, Neals Yard, Laboratoire Léa Nature and Beauty Kitchen, who have signed this letter, are sending a clear message to EU Member States: alternatives to microplastics already exist. It is high time the rest of the cosmetics industry embrace those alternatives. There is no reason to delay the EU restriction any further or allow for excessively long transition periods.”
“As NGOs, it is inspiring to see that renowned brands are demonstrating that not only being plastic free has been feasible for years, but that it is also a sustainable option – for the environment, for consumers, and for their own viability. We call on European decision-makers to hear their voice and to adopt an ambitious restriction commensurate to the urgency of the plastics crisis”
added Lucie Padovani, Marine Litter Lobbying Officer at Surfrider Europe
