Tis the season for all things sparkling, but many of us have no idea of the environmental impact glitter has on the world around us.
Whether it is the festive or festival season, glitter has become part of our celebrations – whether it is glued to Christmas cards and wrapping paper or painted on our faces at Glastonbury. However, many of us forget that the sparkly stuff is made from plastics - etched aluminium bonded to polyethylene terephthalate, to give traditional glitter its official name – and a recent study has shown that a third of the fish caught in the North Sea had microplastics (including glitter) in their stomachs.
Luckily there is a change coming as we all look for more planet-friendly alternatives. Most major supermarkets and retail chains have already announced they are dropping traditional glitter and looking for more sustainable options: Aldi has pledged to remove all non-biodegradable glitter from its products by the end of 2020, and you may also notice a little less glitter on the Christmas lines in Waitrose this year, who have also vowed to remove glitter from all its own-brand lines by the end of 2020.
And it’s not just the supermarket chains looking for alternatives, Lush beauty brand has introduced plastic-free sparkles to all its bath bombs and shower gels and cosmetics, and even BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing has banned the use of non-sustainable traditional glitter make-up and decoration in favour of more eco-friendly sparkles.
Thankfully there are many new biodegradable glitter and sparkles coming on to the market, and as part of Meco Merchandise’s mission to reduce plastic pollution, we are thrilled to be stocking ‘bio glitter’. Made from natural ingredients – the cellulose from the Eucalyptus Tree – our glitter will biodegrade in water and soil. Available in different colours and sizes, our glitter is just as fabulous as the traditional sparkles, but without the lasting damage to the environment.
To find out more about our Eco Glitter for your events and other eco-friendly alternatives, email us at jane@mecomerchandise.com or visit www.mecomerchandise.com/festival
