Tanya first joined FFI in 2012 to help develop FFI's programme of work addressing the extent and impact of marine plastic pollution, with the goal of developing pragmatic solutions and upstream interventions. With a master’s degree in Oceanography, Tanya has a broad understanding of oceanic and atmospheric systems and a keen interest in corporate sustainability and CSR policies, circular economies for sustainable resource use, marine conservation issues, behaviour change campaigning and environmental policy. She has worked in Europe, Africa and the Middle East in roles spanning project management, research and monitoring, environmental education and the design of community outreach programs and conservation initiatives.
Fauna & Flora International and the Marine Conservation Society have launched a new campaign called Scrub it out!, which invites people like you to take a pledge and speak out against the unsustainable use of plastic microbeads in your cosmetics and toiletries.
Unbeknown to most consumers, tiny pieces of plastic can be found lurking in a whole host of everyday products – from toothpastes to bubble bath, soaps and scrubs. Almost invisible to the naked eye, these tiny pieces of plastic (or ‘microbeads’, as they are more commonly known) are purpose-designed to wash down the drain after use.
Plastic microbeads, which are found in many products, can harm marine wildlife. Credit: Leigh Howarth.
Unfortunately, because they are so small, it is impossible to prevent these microplastics from travelling straight from our bathrooms into rivers and out to sea. And scientific evidence has shown that, once there, they can seriously threaten marine wildlife.
The good news is that help is at hand. Recognising that there is a clear and simple solution to this unsustainable, unnecessary pollution, Fauna & Flora International (FFI) has teamed up with the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) to produce the Good Scrub Guide to help you make informed decisions about the products you buy.
Launched by FFI in 2013, the Good Scrub Guide provides clear, non-biased information that highlights the wide-range of microbead-free products available on the UK market.
But for this to really work, we need your help. Please take the Scrub it out! pledge and tell the world that you want to see an end to plastic microbeads in cosmetic health and beauty products.
Your support will help us convince UK businesses that their customers don’t want to wash plastic microbeads down the drain. By working together, we are confident that we can eliminate this source of marine pollution.
Being microplastic-free is easy:
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