NSRGY Nestle SA (PK)

   By Micah Maidenberg 
 

Food manufacturers and consumer-product companies face a major challenge in the form of the sachet.

A sachet is the type of packaging companies typically use to sell single servings, on-the-go sizes and small trial versions of food, soap, deodorant and other items, according to a new report about plastics from advocacy group Greenpeace USA.

Last year, 855 billion sachets were sold in 2018, Greenpeace says in the report. About half of all sachets are sold in Southeast Asia, where the group says sachets thrown away as waste are overwhelming municipal waste infrastructure.

"Because the package is a combination of plastic and other materials (like foil), it cannot be recycled," Greenpeace said.

In India, the government has implemented strict rules on the use of single-use plastic, aiming to curb waste that blights the environment and often ends up in waterways, The Wall Street Journal reported in July.

Nestle SA and Unilever PLC have started paying waste-management firms and others to collect packaging in the country, the Journal reported.

Greenpeace called on food and consumer-product companies to develop reusable packaging systems instead of continuing to sell products in sachets.

Write to Micah Maidenberg at micah.maidenberg@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 01, 2019 10:56 ET (14:56 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.