Could this be the end of paillettes?? In any case, in England, the magic of Christmas will no longer come through the glitter. Morrisons, the UK's fourth largest supermarket chain, has just announced that glitter will be banned from its Christmas products this year. The announcement joins competitors Mark & Spencer (M&S), Waitrose and John Lewis, who have been applying similar measures for several months.
"This means that all cards, crackers, wrapping paper, gift bags, flowers, plants and Morrison's wreaths are now 100% glitter-free." explains Morrisons, in a statement. This measure will then be extended throughout the year in this supermarket chain.
Flakes are micro-particles of plastic and represent an ecological risk when they are found in nature. And "it takes hundreds of years for them to degrade." morrisons points out.
Waitrose and John Lewis, who belong to the mutual group John Lewis Partnership (JLP), had already announced similar arrangements two years earlier. By 2018, three-quarters of Waitrose's cards, wrappers, crackers and labels, as well as half of its flowers and plants, were flake-free. This year, it is expected to be 100 per cent glitter-free.
"Reducing the impact of plastics on the environment is a priority for our customers. It is important to eliminate the use of glitter, but we will find other ways to ensure that our products shine at Christmas and throughout the year" had then declared Waitrose .
In 2019, M&S said: "All items that used to have glitter on them are now largely recyclable. Sequins have been replaced with original paper patterns or small gildings to maintain the festive glow."
As for Morrisons, the festive effect of its cards, packaging and bags will be expressed through "Soluble inks, aluminum foil and paper reliefs."
These various measures show that the environmental impact of chaff is a subject taken seriously across the Atlantic. In fact, UK powder and flake supplier Ronald Britton was the first to introduce biodegradable and plastic-free flakes on the market (read World premiere: plastic-free, biodegradable flakes for packaging and printing ).
