EU restriction on intentionally added microplastics enters into force

The European Commission's restriction on intentionally added microplastics, adopted under REACH in September 2023, entered into force the following month, initiating phased bans across product categories from cosmetics microbeads to sports-pitch infill.

For the water sector, the restriction is one prong of a wider microplastics agenda that includes monitoring requirements in the recast Drinking Water Directive and growing attention to fibres and tyre-wear particles in urban runoff — an emerging driver for advanced filtration and stormwater treatment.