Small plastic sachets sell affordable, pocket-sized portions of products and are widely used in low- and middle-income countries. Environmental groups estimate 855 billion sachets are sold globally each year, with nearly half consumed in Southeast Asia, and they warn the figure could reach 1.3 trillion by 2027.
BreakFreeFromPlastic (BFFP), a global movement of more than 13,000 organisations and individuals, carried out brand audits from October 2023 to February 2024 in 50 locations across India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam. Volunteers collected and documented over 33,000 sachets traced to 2,678 brands, and found 86 per cent came from packaged food items.
The report named major global contributors such as Unilever, Nestlé and Procter & Gamble and several regional companies. Campaigners urge firms to phase out sachets and invest in reuse systems, while some countries have introduced rules to recognise waste pickers and to require collection and recycling.
Difficult words
- sachet — Small sealed plastic bag for single product portionssachets
- estimate — Give a number or size as a best guess
- volunteer — Person who helps work without paid salaryVolunteers
- trace — Find the origin or source of somethingtraced
- brand audit — Check and list brands in waste or productsbrand audits
- phase out — Remove something gradually until it no longer exists
- package — Put goods in material for sale or transportpackaged
- waste picker — Person who collects discarded items to sell or recyclewaste pickers
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Do you think small plastic sachets are more helpful or harmful? Why?
- What alternatives to sachets could companies use in your country?
- How would reuse systems change the way people shop or manage waste?
Related articles
Indigenous groups at COP30 demand forest protection and rights
At COP30 in Belém, Brazil, indigenous peoples and local communities asked for stronger protection of tropical forests, recognition of territorial rights, and direct access to climate finance. A GATC and Earth Insight report maps where extractive industries threaten forests and people.