Reuse is working. It’s time for major brands like Unilever to help it grow.

Every day, the plastic pollution crisis worsens, especially in countries flooded with single-use sachets pushed by fast-moving consumer goods companies. But while the crisis grows, communities in Manila, Philippines are proving that a different future is not only possible but already operational. Reuse at scale isn't a distant ambition. It's happening right now, despite the companies still profiting from the status quo.

Riverside trash accumulated at the shores connected to Manila bay. The plastic trash is so dense, it formed a walkable moat, making it hard for the fishermen to move their boats. Tangos, Navotas.

The Problem: Sachet Pollution Is a System Choice

The plastics crisis didn't arrive by accident. Sachets were designed, marketed, and aggressively expanded by multinationals like Unilever as a way to sell small volumes at huge margins. It's a system built for profit, not sustainability.

Unilever alone sells an estimated 53 billion plastic sachets every year. That's 1,700 pieces of single-use plastic every second, pushed into countries whose waste systems cannot handle them.

Sachets persist not because people love them, but because companies refuse to provide alternatives. That deliberate choice has consequences: mountains of waste, blocked waterways, toxic burning, and a rubbish system overwhelmed by volume.

Riverside trash accumulated at the shores connected to Manila bay. The plastic trash is so dense, it formed a walkable moat, making it hard for the fishermen to move their boats. Tangos, Navotas.

Reuse is a system-wide solution to the sachet problem and communities in the Philippines are already showing how.

The Proof: Reuse in Action in Metro Manila

What the project is

The Kuha sa Tingi initiative, built by Greenpeace Philippines with local governments and community partners, transforms neighbourhood sari-sari stores into refill hubs for everyday items like dishwashing liquid, detergent, and shampoo, eliminating the need for single-use sachets.

Building on the success of the "Kuha sa Tingi" project in San Juan City and Quezon City, the initiative is expanding to all cities across Metro Manila through a partnership between Greenpeace Philippines and the Metro Manila Mayors' Spouses Foundation (MMMSF). The expansion of the project aims to reduce plastic pollution by promoting reuse and refill systems in local communities. Refilling dispensers will be installed in barangays and sari-sari stores across Metro Manila, providing affordable and accessible refill options for household essentials like liquid detergent, dishwashing liquid, fabric conditioner, and multipurpose cleaner. This expansion demonstrates the impact of grassroots solutions in combating plastic pollution, particularly plastic sachets, with environmental and socioeconomic benefits for local communities.

The Philippines uses an estimated 164 million sachets daily. Kuha sa Tingi offers a scalable alternative. Beginning in Quezon City and San Juan City, it is now expanding across the region through new partnerships.

Key outcomes

• 1,000+ sari-sari stores (small-scale neighborhood stores) engaged in Quezon City
• 47,000 sachets avoided in 8 weeks
• Up to 201% cost savings for consumers
• Higher store profitability
• Formal commitment to scale reuse across Metro Manila via the Metro Manila Mayors' Spouses Foundation (MMMSF)

In Quezon City and San Juan City, these neighbourhood stores are quietly reshaping how everyday goods are sold. Kuha sa Tingi and enterprises across Asia and Africa are proving that reuse can outperform sachets economically, socially, and environmentally.

Why this matters for Unilever

This is the environment Unilever claims requires sachets for affordability and access. Yet the success of Kuha sa Tingi proves that argument is outdated and indefensible.

If sari-sari stores can run refill systems that benefit consumers and businesses alike, what excuse does a global corporation with Unilever's resources have?

Reuse works in emerging markets, in dense urban settings, and in communities long targeted with sachet-heavy marketing. The only place it 'doesn't work', it seems, is inside boardrooms clinging to a profitable but destructive model.

Kuha sa Tingi refills display during the launch in Quezon City. According to the report, Kuha sa Tingi displaced more than 50,000 sachets during the pilot periods in San Juan City and Quezon City. During the same period, consumers experienced average savings of 201% when opting for refills over sachets. The report concludes that accelerating the transition to reuse and refill systems, as well as reducing and eventually eliminating the production of single-use disposable plastic products and packaging will secure environmental justice, contribute to better health outcomes, advance climate action, and protect the well-being of every Filipino.

The Opportunity for Unilever

Unilever has the influence, distribution power and capital to make reuse mainstream. These models are ready for corporate investment.

A shift to reuse would:

• Future-proof the company ahead of Global Plastics Treaty regulations
• Deliver cost savings to customers and stability to local retailers

• Show real leadership, not PR-driven promises
• Reduce risk as scrutiny of single-use plastic intensifies

Yet Unilever continues pushing billions of sachets into the market while community-led solutions flourish. That's more than a missed opportunity - it's an active choice to sustain harm. No company can claim sustainability leadership while driving one of the world's most polluting packaging formats.

A small store that participated in the "Kuha Sa Tingi" or KST program is seen in Barangay Maytunas in San Juan City, Metro Manila, Philippines. November 21, 2022. "Kuha Sa Tingi", a project initiated by Greenpeace Philippines in collaboration with local governments and partner organizations, aims to reduce sachet use or single use plastics in communities by rethinking business models and implementing a refill and reuse system into the operations of community-based stores.

Unilever Must Join the Movement

Cities, communities, consumers and small businesses are moving reuse forward. What's missing is the commitment from the companies driving the sachet problem to phase out sachets and phase in reuse models.

Unilever should be:

• Funding and scaling existing refill hubs
• Supporting sari-sari store conversion across Metro Manila
• Redesigning products away from disposable packaging
• Aligning business strategy with a genuine reuse transition
• Reducing its reliance on plastic across its entire business
• Supporting policy that will level the playing field, driving a sector-wide transition

Innovation is not the limiting factor here. Corporate will is.

It's time for Unilever to join it - and time to leave the sachet era behind.

Anna Diski is a Senior Campaigner from Greenpeace UK. Sarah King is a Senior Strategist for the Plastic Free Future campaign from Greenpeace Canada.