Greenpeace activists carry out an action on the Han river in Seoul with huge inflatable models of a toothpaste and other products in a protest against the wide use of microbeads in the cosmetic and personal care industry. Microbeads are tiny plastic particles found in many products, from toothpaste to body cleansers. Too small to be filtered by most water treatment systems, the particles end up in rivers, oceans and the food chain, harming marine life and polluting the entire ecosystem.
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 effective way to stop the microbeads and microplastic pollution is to ban them in the manufacture of all personal care products. More than 20,000 people have participated in the Greenpeace petition to ban the microbeads in Korea.