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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Legislation to reduce microplastic pollution : understanding the factors that facilitated passage of the federal Microbead-free Waters Act of 2015
ClearThe power of environmental norms: marine plastic pollution and the politics of microbeads
This paper analyzes how the anti-microbead norm — the idea that plastic microbeads in personal care products should be eliminated — gained political traction and led to bans in multiple countries. The case demonstrates how combining strong scientific evidence with public activism can rapidly shift corporate and government behavior on plastic pollution.
Tiny pollutants, big changes: Progress in microplastics research and U.S. policy
This commentary reviewed the current state of U.S. federal policy on microplastic pollution, noting that legislation is largely limited to banning microbeads in personal care products and monitoring plastics in food and water. The authors argued that developing evidence-based national policies will require substantially more research on human health impacts.
Beating the Microbead: How private environmental governance has influenced the regulatory process of banning microbeads in the UK
This paper examines how private environmental governance — specifically industry campaigns against microbeads in personal care products — influenced government regulation in multiple countries. It shows that industry-led voluntary action can accelerate formal bans, offering a model for addressing other emerging plastic pollution issues.
National Marine Microbead Policy in Developed Nations: How Microbead Bans Have Influenced Microplastic Pollution in Waterways and Begun the Trend Towards International Collaboration
This review examines how national microbead bans in developed countries have begun to reduce a significant source of microplastic pollution from cosmetic products. It argues that while domestic bans are important, international coordination is needed to address the transboundary nature of microplastic contamination in waterways.
Perceived Approaches to Abating Microplastic Pollution in Chicago-Area Waterways
This study explored how conflicts of interest and differing belief systems among stakeholders in the Chicago area create barriers to developing effective microplastic pollution legislation. Using an advocacy coalition framework, it highlights the political and social dynamics that can slow environmental policy action.
Microplastic pollution in aquatic ecosystem: A review of existing policies and regulations
This review examines existing government policies and regulations worldwide aimed at controlling microplastic pollution in water environments. While many countries have taken steps like banning microbeads in personal care products, the authors found that current efforts are insufficient to prevent microplastic release at scale. The study calls for stronger, more coordinated global regulations to protect both ecosystems and public health from microplastic contamination.
Addressing the Issue of Microplastics in the Wake of the Microbead-Free Waters Act—A New Standard Can Facilitate Improved Policy
Researchers reviewed the U.S. Microbead-Free Waters Act and its limitations, noting that while it eliminated one source of microplastic pollution, it was criticized for its narrow scope and for discouraging biodegradable alternatives. They propose a framework called "Ecocyclable" that could serve as a standard for evaluating whether microplastics are environmentally safe based on their degradation properties. The study suggests that better-defined standards would enable more effective and nuanced regulation of microplastic pollution.
Reducing microplastics from facial exfoliating cleansers in wastewater through treatment versus consumer product decisions
Researchers characterized the microbeads found in commercial facial exfoliating cleansers — measuring size, polymer type, and quantity — and estimated how many microbeads escape treatment at wastewater plants based on published removal data. The study provides a practical case for banning microbeads from personal care products to reduce plastic loading in freshwater systems.
Environmental governance towards microplastic pollution : the case of personal care and cosmetics products in Bangladesh
This study examines why Bangladesh has been slow to regulate microplastic microbeads in personal care products despite growing evidence of harm, compared to many developed countries that have already enacted bans. It highlights governance gaps, lack of enforcement capacity, and industry influence as key barriers to effective environmental regulation.
Microplastics: Applications in the Cosmetic Industry and Impacts on the Aquatic Environment
This review examines how microplastics are used in cosmetics as microbeads in products like exfoliating cleansers, and how these particles enter waterways through drain disposal and harm aquatic life. The authors summarize the main problems caused by cosmetic microplastics and discuss regulatory efforts to phase them out.
The emergence of microplastics: charting the path from research to regulations
This study summarized recent groundbreaking microplastic research and emerging regulations, charting the path from scientific discovery to policy action and providing recommendations to overcome remaining regulatory barriers.
Microplastics and Cosmetics: A Historical Overview
This historical review traces how personal care products shifted from natural abrasives to synthetic plastic microbeads from the 1980s onward, and how mounting environmental concerns eventually triggered regulatory bans in multiple countries. The history is directly relevant to understanding a major deliberate source of microplastic pollution and to evaluating whether current substitutes are genuinely safer alternatives.
Exploration of microplastics from personal care and cosmetic products and its estimated emissions to marine environment: An evidence from Malaysia
Microplastics including microbeads were quantified in personal care and cosmetic products sold in Malaysia, with scrubs and toothpastes as the top contributors, and estimated emissions to marine environments were calculated. The findings support the case for regulations banning plastic microbeads in cosmetics as a pollution prevention measure.
Plastic Microbead Accumulation in our Freshwaters: North American Great Lakes Assessments and Perspectives
Researchers reviewed plastic microbead contamination in North American freshwater systems including the Great Lakes, finding that despite Canada's 2018 ban on microbeads in personal care products, these particles persist due to their resistance to degradation and continued release from unregulated industrial sources.
Politics and the plastic crisis: A review throughout the plastic life cycle
This political science review analyzed over 180 studies on the governance of plastics across their full life cycle, finding that marine pollution and microplastics are driving the fastest growth in plastic policy research. The authors identify fragmented governance architectures and the absence of binding international agreements as major obstacles to addressing the global plastic crisis.
Plastic microbeads: small yet mighty concerning
This review discusses the environmental concerns surrounding plastic microbeads - the tiny plastic particles used in cosmetic scrubs and personal care products - tracing their sources, distribution in aquatic environments, and potential ecological effects. The study supports regulatory bans on microbeads given their persistence, wide distribution, and ingestion by aquatic organisms.
Clean, but not green: Emission assessment, forecast modelling and policy solutions for plastic microbeads from personal care products in India
Researchers analyzed 45 personal care products sold in India and found that plastic microbeads were present in face washes, scrubs, shower gels, and body scrubs. They estimated current and future microbead emissions based on product usage patterns and population growth, projecting a significant increase in microplastic pollution from these sources. The study calls for regulatory action to ban intentionally added microbeads in personal care products in India.
Scientific Uncertainty of Marine Microplastic Pollution and the Dilemma of Future International Unified Legislation
This legal analysis reviews existing microplastic bans across countries and regions, finding that most only target microbeads in cosmetics rather than addressing the full range of microplastic sources, leaving significant regulatory gaps.
Penolakan Amerika Serikat Terhadap Resolusi PBB UNEP/EA.3/RES.7 Tentang Pencemaran Laut dan Mikroplastik
This study analyzed why the United States opposed a UN Environment Programme resolution on marine litter and microplastics, examining the political and economic factors behind the rejection. The resistance of major powers to international plastic governance frameworks slows global action on ocean plastic pollution.
Past, present, and possible future policies on plastic use in the United States, particularly microplastics and nanoplastics: A review
This review analyzed existing U.S. federal and state laws that could be used to regulate microplastics and nanoplastics, including the Clean Water Act and Toxic Substances Control Act. The study found that while multiple statutes exist that could address plastic pollution, none have been specifically invoked for micro- and nanoplastic waste, and current FDA thresholds for acceptable plastic ingestion are far below estimated actual daily exposure levels.
Preventing Microplastic Pollution in Surface Waters: Legal Frameworks and Strategic Actions
This study reviews the legal frameworks and strategic actions being developed in India and internationally to prevent microplastic contamination of surface waters. Researchers examined policies including plastic waste management rules, bans on single-use plastics, and extended producer responsibility programs. The study highlights that while regulatory progress has been made, effective enforcement and coordination between governments, industry, and the public remain essential for reducing microplastic pollution in waterways.
Acknowledging that Science Is Political Is a Prerequisite for Science-Based Policy
This commentary argues that acknowledging the political dimensions of science is necessary for effective evidence-based policy, pointing to how values and assumptions shape research questions and conclusions. This is relevant to microplastic research, where scientific findings have major implications for industry regulation.
From micro to macro: legal tools for combating plastic pollution at national, EU, and international levels
Researchers analyzed how laws at the national, European Union, and international levels have evolved to address microplastic pollution, tracing the shift from voluntary guidelines to binding rules like the EU's 2023 restriction on synthetic microparticles. The review identifies ongoing challenges — including inconsistent definitions and weak enforcement — and calls for stronger global governance to close the legal gaps.
Micro- and nanoplastics current status: legislation, gaps, limitations and socio-economic prospects for future
This review analyzes existing legislation on micro- and nanoplastic pollution across multiple countries and regions including Europe, North America, China, India, and Brazil. The study highlights significant regulatory gaps and recommends additional measures such as developing technologies for separating or degrading these particles in drinking water and wastewater.