In a street-theatre action a Greenpeace activist wearing a “microbeads-filled” toothpaste costume, wanders around in Seoul, while Oceans campaigners Jiewoo KIM and Grace PARK together with direct dialogue activists encourage passers-by to sign a petition calling for a ban on microbeads.
Microbeads are non-biodegradable microplastics. Their tiny size makes it impossible to be filtered out by the sewage system. Microbeads can be found in cosmetics and personal care products such as toothpaste, body wash and facial scrub. Once discharged to the oceans, microbeads can be ingested by small marine animals mistaking them for food.
Korea ranks very high for cosmetic use. However, the Korean government has not shown the initiative in regulating the wide use of microbeads. The most certain and effective way to stop the microbeads and microplastic pollution is to ban them in the manufacture of all personal care products.