Groups Seek Joint Action by Indonesian and Philippine Governments to Stop the Flow of Mercury Cosmetics in the Region
Quezon City-Jakarta. In a bid to stop the flow of mercury-containing cosmetics from Indonesia to the Philippines, environmental health groups asked the governments of both countries to coordinate and enforce measures that will halt such illegal trade.
The EcoWaste Coalition (Philippines) and Nexus3 Foundation (Indonesia) pushed for bilateral and regional action to combat the illegal trade of dangerous cosmetics after the former detected mercury in five Indonesia-made products that it ordered from an online seller at Shopee Philippines.
“Our governments need to act with urgency and resolve and in a concerted manner to disallow the unlawful trade of dangerous cosmetics with mercury mainly through the use of online shopping platforms,” said Aileen Lucero, National Coordinator, EcoWaste Coalition. “As member states of the ASEAN and as parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury, we urge Indonesia and the Philippines to work together and effectively enforce the ban on mercury cosmetics and eliminate this highly preventable source of mercury pollution.”
“Indonesia and the Philippines are among the highest mercury users of mercury in artisanal and small-scale gold mining. Both countries have already issued and implemented regulations to end mercury trade and use in key products and processes,” said Krishna Zaki, General Manager of Nexus3 Foundation. “We call authorities in Indonesia to end the cinnabar mining and mercury trade as a commodity and its use in products, including in cosmetics. Law enforcement must be strengthened and multi stakeholders cooperation must be increased. This is in line with the commitment of our countries when they ratified the mercury treaty to end mercury use and pollution.”
“The use of mercury in cosmetics exposes our communities to immediate health risks and such products must be eliminated from all sales platforms. The most efficient way to shut down online sales of these dangerous products is to take a regional approach to regulation and enforcement with bilateral and multilateral cooperation by customs officials in the ASEAN region,” added Lee Bell, Technical and Policy Advisor, International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN). “Prohibition of elemental mercury imports in ASEAN countries will deny rogue producers of mercury-added cosmetics their raw materials and banning exports and sales of such cosmetics will close the loop. Clearly current enforcement activities are insufficient to stop the flow of these products and the time is right to coordinate enforcement on a multilateral basis, share intelligence about this illegal trade and shut it down permanently”
Based on the chemical screening conducted by the EcoWaste Coalition with the aid of a handheld X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) device, the following products were found to contain mercury above the one part per million (ppm) limit under the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive:
- Collagen Plus Vit E Day & Night Cream with 2,088 ppm (night)
- Dr. Gold Super Quality +SPF30 with 213 ppm
- Fair & Lovely Day & Night Cream with 341 ppm (day) and 221 ppm (night)
- La Bella Day Cream with 245 ppm
- La Bella Night Cream with 400 ppm
Further research by the groups showed that the above products were among those banned by BPOM, Indonesia’ Food and Drug Control Agency. Last December 2023 BPOM released a list of 181 cosmetics containing mercury and other prohibited substances based on the agency’s market surveillance from September 2022 to October 2023 across the country.
The EcoWaste Coalition had already notified the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about the sale of BPOM-banned skin lightening products in the online marketplace, which it considers deeply worrisome but not insurmountable.
As the ordered items had to clear export and import customs checks, the groups pressed the customs authorities of both countries to tighten controls on the export and import of unauthorized cosmetics to ensure that violative products are blocked from being exported or imported.
“As guardians of our ports, we call upon the Directorate General of Customs and Excise of Indonesia and the Bureau of Customs of the Philippines to work closely with BPOM and the FDA to bring the prohibited exportation and importation of mercury-added cosmetics to a full stop,” the EcoWaste Coalition and Nexus3 Foundation said.
“By acting bilaterally and multilaterally, our countries will have better chances of making mercury-added cosmetics a thing of the past for the sake of human health and the environment,” they added.
EcoWaste Coalition is a national network of public interest groups in the Philippines that have come together to promote and advance a zero waste and toxics-free society.
https://ecowastecoalition.blogspot.com
Nexus3 Foundation is a non-profit Indonesian-based environmental health organization that works with all stakeholders to promote the protection of people, especially vulnerable populations, from the impacts of development on their health and the environment, and works towards a just, toxic-free and sustainable future.
https://www.nexus3foundation.org/
IPEN is a global network of non-governmental organizations working in more than 125 countries to reduce and eliminate the harm to human health and the environment from toxic chemicals.
https://www.ipen.org/