{"id":69086,"date":"2026-04-27T12:44:55","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T04:44:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/philippines\/?p=69086"},"modified":"2026-04-27T12:49:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T04:49:17","slug":"the-bill-is-due-filipino-communities-demand-unilever-pay-for-decades-of-plastic-pollution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/philippines\/press\/69086\/the-bill-is-due-filipino-communities-demand-unilever-pay-for-decades-of-plastic-pollution\/","title":{"rendered":"The bill is due: Filipino communities demand Unilever pay for decades of plastic pollution"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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In the Philippines, around 163 million sachets are used daily. Photo by: Jilson Tiu \/ Greenpeace<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

27 April 2026, Quezon City<\/em> \u2014 Multisectoral groups from the Philippines have filed a landmark pollution complaint before the Pollution Adjudication Board of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-PAB) against Unilever PLC and Unilever Philippines, Inc. The complainants\u2014Pagkakaisa ng Samahan ng mga Mangingisda-Pilipinas (PANGISDA), Young Batae\u00f1os Environmental Advocacy Network (YOUNGBEAN), Kababaihang Batae\u00f1o para sa Kalikasan, Karapatan at Pagbabago (KABARO), and the Philippine National Waste Workers Association (PNWWA)\u2014represent a broad coalition of fisherfolk, coastal residents, women, youth, and waste workers, including environmental frontliners across the country.<\/p>\n\n

The groups seek to hold Unilever accountable for the relentless production of non-recyclable plastic sachets and the company\u2019s alleged double standards and greenwashing. The company is responsible for extremely large volumes of sachets, producing over 475 billion sachets from 2010-2020.[1]<\/sup> Notably, a 2023 brand audit across India, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam identified Unilever as the top sachet polluter in the region.[2]<\/sup> As a dominant market leader, Unilever\u2019s business model influences the pace of plastic proliferation in the Philippines. <\/p>\n\n

Billions of sachets have inundated Philippine waterways annually, causing floods, posing severe health risks, degrading mangrove ecosystems, and crippling the livelihoods of fisherfolk and waste workers. Because of its multi-layer design\u2014combining different plastic types and aluminum film\u2014these sachets are persistent, non-recyclable, and inherently “non-environmentally acceptable.”<\/p>\n\n

Because of their design, insignificant value in junk shops, and the toxic chemical additives, sachets are not suitable for integration into a circular economy. They are notoriously difficult to manage, clogging drainage systems and entangling collection equipment. This lack of a recovery pathway creates significant health and safety risks for waste workers, who must handle the waste without any support or accountability from the producers that profited from its creation.<\/p>\n\n

The complaint alleges that Unilever has violated three major environmental laws:<\/p>\n\n

R.A. 9003 (Ecological Solid Waste Management Act): Section 48 prohibits manufacturing and distribution of packaging that fails to meet criteria for “environmentally acceptable” materials. The law mandates that products must be reusable, biodegradable, or recyclable, and free of toxicity.<\/p>\n\n

R.A. 9275 (Clean Water Act): Section 27 prohibits discharging pollutants into bodies of water. Because these sachets are designed for single use and are functionally impossible to recover, they inevitably accumulate in waterways, releasing microplastics and toxic additives as they degrade.<\/p>\n\n

R.A. 8749 (Clean Air Act): Section 20 prohibits the open burning of solid waste. Due to their lack of economic value, the “end-of-life” for many sachets is open burning, which emits dangerous substances like dioxins and furans.<\/p>\n\n

The complaint further notes that Unilever\u2019s continued supply of sachets contravenes various local government ordinances banning single-use plastics (SUPs), thereby undermining the authority of Local Government Units (LGUs) and overwhelming municipal waste systems.<\/p>\n\n

The petitioning groups are demanding reparations and calling on the DENR-PAB to impose administrative fines under R.A. 9275 and R.A. 8749. Crucially, they are seeking an immediate cease-and-desist order to stop Unilever from manufacturing, importing, and distributing multi-layer plastic laminate packaging. Furthermore, they demand that the company contain, remove, and clean up the plastic pollution it has caused in affected bodies of water at its own exclusive expense.<\/p>\n\n

For too long, the “sachet economy” has generated massive profits for companies while offloading the environmental and health costs onto the Filipino people. By filing this complaint, these communities are demanding a fundamental shift: it is time for big plastic polluters to stop packaging its profits and pay up for the impacts of the plastic crisis that they made.<\/p>\n\n

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PHOTOS FROM ACTIVITY WILL BE UPLOADED TO THIS LINK<\/a>
Please credit the photos to \u00a9 Miguel Louie de Guzman \/ Greenpeace<\/p>\n\n

NOTES TO THE EDITOR:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

[1] Uncovered: Unilever\u2019s complicity in the plastics crisis and its power to solve it<\/a><\/p>\n\n

[2] Sachets Asia Report 2023 | Brand Audit<\/a><\/p>\n\n

For more information and interview requests, please contact:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Karl Orit
Communications Campaigner
Greenpeace Southeast Asia \u2013 Philippines karl.orit@greenpeace.org | +63 919 457 1064 (Viber & WhatsApp)<\/p>\n\n

QUOTES FROM COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND EXPERT TESTIMONIES:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n