Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of the ban on microbeads on trends in the level of plastic pollution.

Microbeads, like other microplastics, do not biodegrade and therefore accumulate in the environment and can cause serious harm to marine life. There are also suitable, less harmful alternatives.

While some countries have opted to ban only those plastic particles added for exfoliating and cleansing purposes, our ban covers all microplastic particles in rinse-off personal care products. It is one of the toughest bans in the world.

As Commonwealth Chair-in-Office for the next two years, we are driving forward ambitious action to reduce plastic pollution in our oceans. We have announced the ground-breaking Commonwealth Clean Oceans Alliance (CCOA) with our partner Vanuatu, and are calling on Commonwealth countries to pledge action to tackle marine plastic pollution. One of the ways this could be done is by committing to ban the sale and manufacture of microbeads in rinse-off cosmetic and personal care products by 2021. We will be sharing the technical expertise we have gained on implementing a microbead ban with members of the CCOA.