The Environmental Protection Department launches a voluntary plan to phase out micro-bead ring groups, not enterprising, and lack of clear timetables and goals

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Written by: Lao Minyi

2021-05-26 10:28

The last update date: 2021-05-26 10:28

The Environmental Protection Department plans to implement a plan for the voluntary phase-out of personal care and cosmetic products containing micro-gel beads within this year for a period of two years.

The group believes that when some countries set a timetable and target for the elimination of micro-beads, and even ban the sale of micro-beads, the Hong Kong government is still stuck in a voluntary elimination plan with no contractual force. The elimination target and timetable are not clear, and no progress can be seen. local.

In recent years, micro-gel beads have been widely used in personal care products, such as scrub facial cleansers, shower gels, and toothpastes, claiming to have scrub cleansing and exfoliating effects.

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Tan Yinglin, director of the Greenpeace project, said on the Hong Kong and Taiwan program "Millennium" that products containing scrubs, some toothpastes and cosmetics containing micro-gel beads have been accumulating in the environment, and marine organisms have the opportunity to eat by mistake and affect the ecological environment.

She said that in the past few years, Huan Tuan has called on companies to voluntarily phase out products containing micro-beads. Some countries, such as Australia, have set a timetable and percentage for the elimination of micro-beads. , There is no covenant force or impetus, it is necessary to set clear goals.

Tan also pointed out that even if the public can refuse products containing micro-beads, they may not understand the ingredient list. Therefore, he believes that the government should do a good job of monitoring, rather than relying on voluntary elimination of the charter, which is led by the industry.

The industry estimates that only 5% of products containing micro-beads

He Shaozhong, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors and executive consultant of the Hong Kong Cosmetics Industry Association, stated on the same program that in the early years, scrub products added micro-gel beads to help clean pores, but many big brands have stopped using them in recent years, and most products in the US, EU, Japan and South Korea are also banned. However, products from Eastern Europe, South America and other countries are still in use, and citizens can make online purchases to bring these products into Hong Kong, which is estimated to account for about 5% of the market.

He believes that if legislation is to be implemented, the government should implement it four or five years ago to have the effect of interception; however, most of the products currently do not contain micro-beads, and there is no relevant regulatory agency. He is worried that the definition is unclear and the industry will fall into the law. Internet, so it has very reservations about legislation.

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