"We discovered that wealth lies in rural India, and we reached out to the wider market base," he said, referencing the shampoo sachets. By the turn of the century, nearly 70% of all shampoo sold in India came in sachets, academic C.K. Now, 855 billion plastic sachets are sold every year, enough to cover the entire surface of Earth, according to London-based environmental group A Plastic Planet. Critics say companies charge the poor a premium because products sold this way are more expensive by volume than bigger packages. Often sold in countries without proper waste collection, these single-use sachets end up as litter, clogging waterways and harming wildlife.

Source: The Star June 23, 2022 04:26 UTC