Sequins: Environmental Alternatives to Make Christmas Sparkle

(ETX Daily Up) – No Christmas Glitter. This is the decision that many schools in the UK have made to educate children about environmental conservation. In fact, the “classic” flakes consist of microplastics that pollute the oceans. The good news? There are greener alternatives.

In décor, make-up, or in clothes… Sequins put the stars in our eyes. But the flip side of the coin is that it is made up of microplastic particles (less than 5 millimeters in diameter) that are not biodegradable. Its microscopic size passes through the filters of sewage treatment plants and the flakes flow in waves in the seas and oceans.

So sequins are added to the Long list of plastic particles, which would represent 85% of the more than 8 million tons dumped each year in the oceans. If there isn’t an exact number to quantify the microplastics from the glitter that ends up in the oceans, these ephemeral and colorful accessories should be a subject of awareness, or even a ban, according to the anthropologist. Tricia Farrelly, who fired a countryside on this in 2017.

By that time, British schools had already ruled: nineteen British kindergartens had removed the sparkle from their Christmas creative workshops. The goal is to make the general public aware that some everyday products contribute to marine water pollution.

If you still want your Christmas table to shine bright and you haven’t finished the purchases yet, know that there are alternatives. Several labels have embarked on the design of biodegradable chips, such as the English brand Bioglitter, which has reached about a dozen European countries (including France). Launched in 2010, the company designs its vegan gloss that takes nearly 100 days to dissolve. Another British brand, Eco Glitter Fun, offers glitter made from compostable film.

If you want to reduce your carbon footprint associated with transportation, you can also turn to French brands like Si, si la paillette or Glitter Paris, which make glitter from renewable vegetable cellulose.