November 3, 2025
New report exposes ongoing illegal manufacture of mercury-added skin whiteners ZMWG urges COP-6 to take decisive action to end toxic production at the source Brussels / Islamabad / Manila / Nairobi/ Washington D.C. – At the start of the Sixth Conference of the Parties (COP-6) to the Minamata Convention on […]
December 23, 2024
The United Nations Environment Programme, Global Mercury Partnership and its area of work on mercury-added products, is seeking inputs from online platforms related to mercury-added skin-lightening products being sold online. Mercury added cosmetics, including skin lightening products, are banned from manufacture, import and export by international treaty Minamata Convention on […]
October 17, 2024
Exposure to harmful chemicals, including mercury, claims the lives of over 1.5 million people globally each year. As research shows, the overwhelming majority among them are women. Such an imbalance reveals yet another dark dimension of gender inequality that puts lives of the female part of the population at a constant unnecessary […]
June 28, 2024
The Zero Mercury Working Group (ZMWG) and the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) submitted information to the Minamata Convention’s open consultation, addressing challenges in preventing the manufacture, import, and export of mercury-added cosmetics listed in Part A of Annex I. These cosmetics include most notably skin-lightening products. Our submission provides insights […]
May 28, 2024
The desire for many dark-skinned women – and increasingly men – to whiten their complexion is rife, feeding a growing skin whitening industry estimated at USD 9.88 billion in 2021. This phenomenon speaks volumes of the long-lasting and pervasive impact of the discriminatory values of colonial times, which dictate a predominantly ‘white’ standard on beauty, […]
