Environmental groups say about 855 billion sachets are sold each year and nearly half are used in Southeast Asia. They warn the total could rise to 1.3 trillion by 2027. Sachets sell small, cheap portions of goods like shampoo and instant coffee.
Between October 2023 and February 2024 volunteers in 50 locations across India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam collected more than 33,000 sachets linked to many brands. Campaigners and waste pickers say sachets cause heavy pollution and are hard to recycle. They call on companies to phase out sachets and support reuse systems. Some governments have new rules to manage sachet waste.
Difficult words
- sachet — small sealed packet for one usesachets
- pollution — harmful dirt or chemicals in environment
- recycle — process to make used things usable again
- volunteer — person who works without payvolunteers
- phase out — stop something gradually over time
- reuse — give an item another practical purpose
- waste picker — person who collects trash to earn moneywaste pickers
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Discussion questions
- Have you seen products sold in sachets where you live? Describe one example.
- Would phasing out sachets change how you buy shampoo or coffee? Why or why not?
- What could your local government do to manage sachet waste?
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