Waitrose is joining the fight against glitter and has vowed to ban it from all own-brand products by 2020.
In two years time, the retailer said its cards, wraps, crackers, tags, flowers and plants will either be glitter-free, or they’ll use an environmentally-friendly alternative.
The supermarket will use more vibrant foliage in its flowers to make up for lack of glitter, and different designs will be used for cards and wrapping paper – the idea being not to take the sparkle out of Christmas.
Glitter is made up of tiny pieces of plastic and, when washed off, can end up in water where they never breaks down. The pieces can pass through filtration systems and end up in the ocean where they pose a threat to marine wildlife.
[Read More: 5 biodegradable glitter beauty products that won’t pollute the oceans with microplastics]
Three quarters of Waitrose cards, wraps, crackers and tags are already glitter-free. Next year, the focus will be on getting rid of the sparkly stuff from flowers and plants.
“Reducing the impact of plastics on the environment is something our customers care passionately about,” said Tor Harris, head of CSR, health and agriculture for Waitrose & Partners. “While it’s important to eliminate the use of glitter, we’ll find other ways to make sure our products sparkle at Christmas and throughout the year.”
The move by the retailer follows news earlier this year that ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ banned the use of traditional glitter on its shows, as have a number of nursery schools and music festivals in the UK.