Thread by @mikoalino

In the age of plastic, corporations are finding ways to increase profit from the Sachet Economy, at the expense of low-income communities and cash-strapped governments that suffer from the impacts of plastic pollution. @DiscardStudies #Discard2020 (1/10)

Sachets are pocket-sized packaging that contain fixed amounts of everyday products like coffee, powdered milk, condiments, and shampoo. They are perceived as affordable and indispensable choices for low-income communities in the Philippines and other parts of Asia. (2/10)

In the Philippines, Filipinos consume almost 60 billion sachets a year, enough to account for more than half of the residual plastic waste in cities. (3/10)

The true costs of sachets are externalized; corporations don’t pay for the environmental pollution and harmful effects on human health. With sachets deemed as non-recyclable, local governments are left with no choice but to bury them in already-congested landfills. (4/10)

The poor—the likely target of sachets ads—face the negative effects of plastic pollution: from the threat of flooding because of plastic-clogged canals to inadequate access to waste collection services. The waste injustice here is striking. (5/10)

Corporations, meanwhile, continue to profit handsomely from sachets, with no clear sight of turning off the tap. Likewise, they have announced seemingly greenwashing commitments to improve collection of sachets but later burning these discards in cement kilns. (6/10)

Interest in #SachetAway among Filipinos is promising. A nationwide opinion poll last year showed that 7 out of 10 Filipinos were willing to buy food condiments (e.g. cooking oil, soy sauce, vinegar) using recyclable and refillable containers. (7/10)

While sachets are being marketed to poor households, the same survey indicated willingness to try non-sachet alternatives, especially among low-income respondents. Moreover, this suggests that consumers are open to changing the status quo if given more choices. (8/10)

Transition to a sachet-free economy. Several businesses have adopted no-plastic shopping – replacing plastic bags w/ woven baskets, reusing containers, & wrapping food w/ leaves. Government incentives, as well as penalties, should be in place to sustain these initiatives. (9/10)

Other recommendations include updating packaging guidelines, setting up mandatory EPR schemes, disallowing incineration of sachets, and full disclosure of plastic use among corporations. Transitioning to a sachet-free economy also means turning off the tap. (10/10)

Thanks everyone for tuning in! For more information, check out GAIA Asia Pacific’s [@ZeroWasteAsia] report Sachet Economy: Big Problems in Small Packets - no-burn.org/sachet-economy/

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