Questions and Answers
What was Procter & Gamble Company named in October 2019?
a top ten corporate plastic polluter
Why were consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies, like P&G, under pressure to present an environmentally friendly image?
to avoid being the focus of campaigns related to greenwashing claims
What is the main environmental concern associated with sachet packaging?
The packaging is often discarded in landfills, rivers, or oceans, contributing to plastic waste.
What would have been the consequence for low-income people without sachets?
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What did Procter & Gamble Company express its commitment to by 2021?
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What was the primary reason why purchasing in bulk or in larger packages was not a sustainable alternative for many people in developing countries?
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Why did the petrochemical industry continue to promote the sachet economy despite its environmental and social harm?
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What was the average monthly income of workers in the Philippines, and how did this contribute to the sachet economy?
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What percentage of residual plastic waste in the Philippines was attributed to sachets, and what was the daily consumption rate of sachets in the country?
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What was the name of Procter & Gamble's sustainability goals released in 2018, and what was the company's aim with this initiative?
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Study Notes
Corporate Plastic Pollution
- In 2019, The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) was named a top ten corporate plastic polluter by Break Free from Plastics.
- Multinational corporations, especially consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies, faced scrutiny over their contributions to climate change, negative externalities, and plastic waste.
The "Sachet Economy"
- The "sachet economy" refers to the practice of buying consumer products in single-use plastic packaging, mainly in developing countries.
- Products like shampoos, toothpaste, and detergent are packaged in sachets to make necessities affordable to low-income people.
- Sachet packaging is often discarded in landfills, rivers, oceans, or streets, contributing to catastrophic negative environmental externalities.
The Philippines and the "Sachet Economy"
- The Philippines is one of the countries with a significant sachet economy, with 150 million sachets purchased daily for a few cents each.
- 52% of residual plastic waste produced in the Philippines comes from sachets.
- The country lacks waste management and recycling infrastructure, worsening the negative externalities caused by sachets.
- If sachet consumption continues at the same rate, the Philippines would require 200 new landfills the size of the one in Manila by 2020.
Procter & Gamble
- P&G is the world's largest CPG company with close to $78 billion in global net sales in 2019 and operations in over 180 countries.
- In 2018, P&G released its sustainability goals, called Ambition 2030, to create a positive impact on the environment and society.
- By the end of 2019, P&G claimed to have made significant progress on its goals related to climate, water, and waste.
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Description
This quiz focuses on the environmental impact of consumer goods companies, specifically Procter & Gamble's role in plastic pollution and the industry's response to consumer pressure.
