Ref. Ares(2017)5821910 - 28/11/2017
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs
Consumer, Environmental and Health Technologies
Health Technology and Cosmetics
Brussels, 28.11.2017
grow.ddg1.d.4(2017)6568684
NOTE TO THE FILE
Subject:
Meeting between Antii Peltomäki and Cosmetics Europe
Brussels, 24 November 2017
Participants:
Antii Peltomäki (Deputy Director General, DG GROW),
Visitors:
John Chave (Director General of Cosmetics Europe),
CE reiterated the minor contribution of their sector to
microplastics in marine litter yet
acknowledged the political pressure as well as proliferation of national measures to ban
microplastics in certain cosmetics products. CE also expressed their concern for the
broad definition of microplastics used in the context of a possible REACH restriction.
GROW explained that the
microplastics issue should be put into the context of the
Commission's wider Plastics Strategy. GROW seeked clarification from CE as to which
cosmetic products contained the most microplastics. CE replied that the products
Commission européenne/Europese Commissie, 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel, BELGIQUE/BELGIË - Tel. +32 22991111
e-mail: xxxxxxx@xx.xxxxxx.xx
intended to be washed down should be the most targeted ones as they end up in marine
litter, and that tonnages for leave-on cosmetic products are extremely limited.
CE further highlighted that international trade could be disrupted for European industry
as the existing bans on
microplastics in cosmetics outside the EU are very narrow in
scope and focus on product function (i.e. exfoliating wash-off cosmetics as per the US
ban). GROW noted that it would be useful to have a precise quantification on those
cosmetic products for which no alternates to microplastics exist as well as their economic
value.
Contact:
2