Challenge

Some 855 billion plastic sachets are produced each year. Due to their makeup, comprising of aluminium foil coated on either side with plastic, sachets are virtually impossible to recycle. Incredibly difficult to collect for processing, they are destined to pollute the planet for centuries to come.

But despite being one of the most abundant polluting items on land and in the oceans, no attention had been given to their contribution to the plastic crisis.

Solution

A Plastic Planet set Higginson a clear objective: Sack the Sachet – a campaign to see plastic sachets outlawed by the UK Government.

Our strategy was to focus the minds on a single issue that was devastating the environment, but crucially could be solved. This allowed us to apply all our efforts onto this single point over a sustained period in a bid to see the Government act.

Three core pillars channelled work through the campaign: Shine a spotlight on the issue of plastic sachets using mainstream media, build a coalition of powerful voices calling for sachets to be outlawed and work with the Government to see sachets banned.

Outcome

A Plastic Planet did exactly what they said they would.

The use of plastic sachets in UK restaurants and takeaways are now set to become a thing of the past, preventing billions of plastic items from entering the environment.

With the UK set to be one of the first countries to rid themselves of the plastic sachet, A Plastic Planet’s efforts have created a powerful roadmap for other governments around the world to follow as part of their plastic reduction efforts.

Simply put, A Plastic Planet have opened the door for the world to Sack the Sachet for good.