Sachet, Sashay Away!
Introducing and problematizing the sachet economy
With the thrust of the 20th century and the rise of single-use plastics, sachet economies emerged as a way to address the growing inaccessibility of everyday living essentials that only existed in bulk or in large bottles. Compared to the wealthier, Western countries whose products often came in one-liter bottles, sachet packaging of small amounts of products such as shampoos and toothpaste allowed the global poor to still gain access to their daily necessities without having to spend much money from the get-go (Posadas, 2014). Initially, sachets were a great alternative when purchasing goods for low-income communities in developing countries. The sachets’ low prices were the main reason why individuals continued to support sachets. This consumer behavior would also eventually lead to sachets becoming a crucial everyday purchase for families, equating to the dependency of economies on sachets. However, the amount of single-use plastics used and disposed of since its rise has become a growing concern among environmentalists and world leaders alike (Liamzon et al., 2021).
The Southeast Asian region, also known as SEA, is one of the world’s biggest producers of plastic waste. The Philippines, China, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand account for 60% of the world’s marine plastic waste; in the Philippines alone, 163 million pieces of single-use plastic are consumed daily (Enerva, 2022; Lema, 2019). These numbers are considered alarming, especially for a country like the Philippines, whose plastic waste usage does not equate to its vastness or geographic size. As plastic waste multiplies, more of this waste is taken to landfills for disposal, and the more plastic waste ends up at landfills, the more it negatively impacts the environment and harms people (Bengali, 2019). Plastic waste is already known not to be biodegradable–it takes years to decompose a single, tiny sachet, much more if it is coated in used products such as shampoo (Posadas, 2013).
Diverting away from a SEA-focused discussion of sachet economies, the Philippines’ sachet economy is an interesting case study, considering that the country is the third top waste contributor worldwide (Guevarra, 2022). Before sachets, the country already had a decent system that afforded the same benefits without the ghastly cost: the tingi culture. The tingi culture is a system where consumers at a sari-sari store are allowed to purchase small quantities or portions. They would then be placed into small reusable plastic bags, which the buyer can use again when they purchase tingi. However, this culture was discontinued once corporations used sachets and sari-sari stores sold those instead of the tingi. Liamzon et al. (2021) noted that the tingi culture that was once sustainable, which utilized reusable materials, has evolved into a “culture of convenience” dominated by consumer goods in non-recyclable sheets. This drastic change in consumer behavior and the slow normalization of the sachet economy changed the Philippine economic market as well as the country’s environmental policies. Beyond the role of the Philippine administration, these issues are also under the jurisdiction of regional organizations that strive to improve Southeast Asia’s current economic and sociopolitical landscape.
Introducing ASEAN and ADB: Goals, Jurisdictions, and Purposes
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, also known as ASEAN, is a regional organization that aims to promote economy, security, sustainability, and equity within the Southeast Asian nations, namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam (What Is ASEAN?, 2017). The Philippines was a founding member of ASEAN and has been an active and participative stakeholder since the organization’s creation. ASEAN was created with the aim and purpose of cooperation within the member states in “economic, social, cultural, technical, educational and other fields, and in the promotion of regional peace and stability through abiding respect for justice and the rule of law and adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter,” (The Founding of ASEAN, 2021). ASEAN is considered one of the more successful regional associations, as it has proven itself to be an organization that pushes for Asian economic integration through free trade policies. The organization has also seen consistent improvement in formally hostile regional relations (What Is ASEAN?, 2017). However, like every other regional association, ASEAN still carries certain burdens that it cannot easily lift, like diverging priorities, weak leadership, and weak relations, and the heaviest burden of them all: developing a unified approach towards China.
On the other hand, the Asian Development Bank is a financial institution conceived in the early 1960s with the goal of fostering economic growth and cooperation among Asian countries, which was then considered as one of the poorest regions in the world (About ADB, 2022). The institution offers financial support to its developing member countries, especially for projects that are of utmost economic impact and positively affect agriculture, food security, development, climate change, disaster risk management, technology, education, energy, and empowerment. ADB envisions a prosperous, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific as it strives to eradicate extreme poverty in the region. It dedicates itself to maximizing its resources through better policy implementation, providing loans and grants to member states, and equity investments for economic and social development (About ADB, 2022). The ADB acts in accordance with ASEAN to push for an Asia that is better than before.
Both organizations have also placed utmost importance on sustainable development in line with the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. Hence, it is no surprise that the two organizations have spoken up about the region’s sachet economies and the Philippines being one of the top contributors of plastic waste. The ASEAN has previously partnered with the World Bank to request monetary assistance, which will be allotted to supporting policies that will combat marine plastic waste (de Vera, 2022). Member nations have also utilized regulatory policies in a way to at least alleviate the burdens of plastic waste. Member states have created and implemented policies specific to their country while still conforming to ASEAN’s standards of regulation (Akenji et al., 2019). Since ASEAN nations also hold a large percentage of the world’s coastal and marine habitats, it is indeed an area of concern that these countries are also considered some of the top contributors of waste. Amidst these growing concerns, there is still no region-wide memorandum that bans single-use plastic, and it seems that neither the ASEAN community nor the ADB has any plans to completely ban single-use plastic.
The proposed solution: implementing a circular economy
Currently, what many of the ASEAN nations that are dependent on sachets have is a linear economy. A linear economy is a traditional model where resources are collected and transformed into easily disposable products that are to be immediately discarded after use. This linear economy is profit-oriented, and it only takes into consideration convenience over sustainability. This is not only applicable to plastic waste but can be seen for every other easily discarded resource. Hence, what ASEAN and ADB propose instead is the implementation of a circular economy.
A circular economy is a model where the resources collected are transformed with the intent of reducing, recycling, and reusing them. The design and production are all created sustainably, with the purpose of reducing as much waste as possible. Compared to the linear economy, the circular economy is more purposeful in the long run because it aims to create long-lasting and durable products to be reused and recycled. ASEAN has also introduced its framework of a circular economy based on its objectives, goals, and purposes. This framework provides a structured pathway toward attaining a circular economy with the goal of achieving resource efficiency, economic resiliency, and sustainable growth (ASEAN, 2021). ASEAN’s framework also sets strategic priorities centered around recognizing circular products, trade openness, utilizing green technologies, innovating sustainable finance, and implementing efficient use of energy resources (ASEAN, 2021). The implementation of the said framework is dependent on the nation’s capability to transition into a greener, more sustainable circular economy. ASEAN’s framework is not strictly implemented among its member states.
Conversely, the ADB is currently developing an ADB Circular Economy Toolkit that will serve as ADB’s framework for identifying, creating, and integrating investment opportunities within a circular economy (ADB Data Room: Circular Economy, 2022). Though ADB has yet to come up with a general plan of action for addressing the sachet economy as well as forwarding a circular economy, the ADB has brought this issue to light through its webinar series, open-access key documents, and reference documents.
With ASEAN’s framework and ADB’s upcoming toolkit, the challenge is how administrations will attempt to implement a circular economy and streamline it downwards towards the local government units. In the Philippines specifically, there have been initiatives created by non-government organizations and start-up businesses that make use of refilling stations instead of single-use plastics. With this, consumers are expected to reuse their original bottles and containers instead of repeatedly buying them in bulk. Through this method, the companies can also reduce their production costs. However, one aspect that can hinder its implementation is if the policies are created with loopholes that companies can go through. Current Philippine solid waste management policies, when they were enacted into law, were not as strict as they were meant to be. This led to companies leaping over certain aspects of the law through loopholes. The same could be done with ASEAN’s and ADB’s framework and toolkit.
Conquering sachet economies: a constant battle with convenience
In the journey towards sustainability, convenience will always be a significant factor in consumer behavior. Oftentimes, convenience weighs heavier than sustainability, hence the proliferation of single-use plastics. The consumer is no longer given extra responsibility to reuse the containers they bought whenever they ask for a refill. They no longer need to always remember to bring a plastic bag when going to the sari-sari store. The challenge is how these leaders will push for sustainability over convenience, especially if convenience also means less money being spent. Either way, sachet economies are unsustainable and will also inevitably phase out. Whatever comes next, ASEAN member countries must always remember and strive to embody the principles and the goals of their regional organization.
References
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Akenji, L., Bengtsson, M., Kato, M., Hengesbaugh, M., Hotta, Y., Aoki-Suzuki, C., Gamaralalage, P. J. D., & Liu, C. (2019). PLASTICS AND RELATED POLICIES IN ASEAN. JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep21872.7
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Bengali, S. (2019, November 10). The tiny plastic packages that are fueling Asia’s waste crisis. Los Angeles Times; Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2019-11-10/the-tiny-plastic-packages-that-are-fueling-asias-waste-crisis
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Guevarra, S. (2022, July 18). The Face of Plastic. Ateneo de Manila University. https://www.ateneo.edu/news/2022/07/18
Lema, K. (2019, September 3). Slave to sachets: How poverty worsens the plastics crisis in the Philippines. U.S. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-asia-waste-philippines-idUSKCN1VO0G3
Liamzon, C., Benosa, S., Aliño, M., & Baconguis, B. (2021). Sachet Economy: Big Problems in Small Packets. In Sachet Economy. https://www.no-burn.org/sachet-economy/
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Posadas, D. (2014, May 22). Sachets help low-income communities but are a waste nightmare. The Guardian; The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/sachet-packaging-low-income-communities-waste-nightmare
Posadas, Ma. E. S. (2013, August 11). Cheap sachets clogging the country’s drains. INQUIRER; INQUIRER.net. https://business.inquirer.net/137871/cheap-sachets-clogging-the-countrys-drains
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