Pangaea has signed a pledge to go 100% free of single-use plastics within three years, and turns out, this includes glitter.

Like those plastic microbeads that have been banned from your shower gel, traditional glitter is a microplastic. Worse, it’s often coated with metal.

When you wash yourself, or your clothes, all that glitter heads straight for our rivers and oceans where it doesn't biodegrade. It's potentially harmful to wildlife, with a study finding plastic in a third of fish caught in British waters.

This is all part of a #DrasticOnPlastic campaign launched by the Association of Independent Festivals or AIF, of which Pangaea is a member.

#DrasticOnPlastic requires festivals to completely eliminate single-use plastic by 2021. Alongside glitter, this includes plastic cups, straws, food trays, wet wipes, and even the cable ties used to set up the festival.

Pangaea is just one of 61 music festivals taking part, with Boomtown, Shambala, and Kendal Calling also joining the list.

This #EarthDay we're getting #drasticonplastic! Plastic straws & disposable plastic bottles have been banned at Shambala since 2013 – but we need to talk #glitter, menstrual products & reduce the plastic you lovely lot bring to site: https://t.co/Tu12PIubzA pic.twitter.com/yRhZy46YI8 — Shambala Festival (@ShambalaFest) April 22, 2018

An AIF spokesperson confirmed to The Tab that "it is all AIF members that have signed the pledge." Pangaea organisers have also been approached for comment.

If glitter is an essential part of your festival outfit, you may be pleased to know there's already an eco-friendly alternative available by the name of BioGlitter. This biodegradable glitter is made from plant-derived materials, and promises to "biodegrade into harmless substances within the natural environment". This stuff is just like regular chunky glitter, and whilst makeup companies will happily sell it for £8 a tub, you can get a refillable bag on eBay for under £3. Win, win.

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