UK urged to join EU in banning single-use sauce sachets

Environmental advocates at A Plastic Planet are urging the UK to emulate the European Union's (EU) initiative in prohibiting single-use plastic sachets.

On March 4, 2024, the EU announced plans to outlaw sauce sachets by 2030 as part of a comprehensive green packaging legislation. This legislative milestone follows extensive advocacy efforts by A Plastic Planet to eliminate sachets from the market.

In a statement posted on LinkedIn, Sian Sutherland, co-founder of A Plastic Planet, said: "We commend the EU's decision to phase out plastic sauce sachets. Since 2020, our Sack The Sachet campaign has tirelessly advocated for this change, while collaborating with major food industry players to implement urgently needed alternative systems and materials."

Sutherland continued: "Every year, an estimated 72 million kilometers of sachets are produced – equivalent to 189 round trips between the earth and the moon. Nearly all of these plastic sachets ultimately contribute to pollution in our vital ecosystems, breaking down into harmful microplastics that pervade our environment, infiltrate food chains, and release toxic, endocrine-disrupting chemicals into our soil and water."

"We now call upon the UK Government to mirror this progressive action within Britain."