Beat the micro bead

I have the good fortune of working for Neal's Yard Remedies which means I get kept up to date on a wide range of environmental, ethical and sustainable issues and campaigns. One campaign that Neal's Yard have been involved with is the "Beat the micro bead" campaign and this is something that until I started working at NYR I didn't know much about.

The issue in a nut shell is this:

Microbeads are tiny bits of plastic found in products such as facial exfoliators, body scrubs and toothpastes and are designed to be washed down the drain after use.  They are
too small to be picked up by sewage filters and therefore end up in the ocean. Here, they are mistaken for food by a wide range of marine life and inevitably make their way back up the food chain and have been linked to health concerns in humans.

It seems ridiculous to be causing such unnecessary pollution and health dangers when there are so many naturally derived ingredients that can be used as exfoliants. Neal's Yard Remedies, for example, use ingredients such as wild rose seed powder and argan shells. As quoted on www.fauna-flora.org

"As a consumer, you have a great deal of power. By choosing products that are free of microplastics, you will not only help stem the tide of microbeads into our seas but will also be voting with your wallet – sending a clear message to manufacturers that you want to see an end to this pointless pollution. To make this as easy as possible, FFI and partners have created the Good Scrub Guide which provides clear, non-biased information on which products are free from microplastics."

You can download the Good Scrub Guide here

Please go check out the Good Scrub Guide and make informed decisions when purchasing skincare products. In Buddhism it teaches how everything we think, say and do effects others and this is so true here. Continuing to use toxic products is harming our oceans, marine life, the environment and our own health.