Packet (container)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/Dishwashwer_tab.jpg/220px-Dishwashwer_tab.jpg)
A packet or sachet is a small bag or pouch, made from
Uses
Condiments distributed in packets include
In 1983, the Indian company Cavin Kare began selling shampoo in small plastic packets instead of large bottles in order to make it more affordable to the poor.[1] Sale of small amounts of shampoo and detergents in plastic packets is very popular throughout the Philippines, India and other Eastern countries.[2] In 2011, 87% of shampoo sold in India was in sachets.[3]
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A packet of ketchup, opened with the contents squeezed out
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A packet of butter
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Shampoo packet
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Toothpick's paper packet
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Sugar's paper packet
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Pharmaceutical packets with text and bar code identification
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Tear open pouch
Porous pouch
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/eb/Fruit_box_with_pouches.jpg/175px-Fruit_box_with_pouches.jpg)
Some packets are made of materials with known porosity to allow vapors from the pouch to escape. These pouches, also called sachets, can be placed in other packages to help control the atmosphere. Uses include: volatile corrosion inhibitors, desiccants, oxygen scavengers, etc.
History
Benjamin Eisenstadt invented a machine that produced the modern sugar packet after a failed endeavor to package and sell tea bags, later packaging other items, including sauces.[5]
Variants
The Sanford Redmond designed the no mess dispenSRpak for one handed operation. Introduced into Australia in 1990, it is used in other countries, but the design has not been widely licensed in the USA.[6][7][8][9]
In 2010, the
Water sachets
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7e/Plastic_sachets_that_are_used_to_for_producing_Trashy_Bags.jpg/220px-Plastic_sachets_that_are_used_to_for_producing_Trashy_Bags.jpg)
Water sachets or sachet water is a common form of selling pre-filtered or sanitized water in plastic, heat sealed bags in parts of the global south, and are especially popular in Africa.[12] Water sachets are cheaper to produce than plastic bottles, and easier to transport.[13] In some countries, water vendors refer to sachet water as "pure water".[14][15][16]
High demand, and poor collection of waste from
Records
In
Annual production of ketchup packets by Heinz alone is 11 billion.[21]
Pollution
Plastic sachets are a major contributor to litter and pollution, especially in low-income countries where many more household goods are sold in sachets in small quantities.
In June 2022, a Reuters report revealed that Unilever had lobbied the governments of India and the Philippines to stop legislation which would ban the sale of cosmetics in single-use plastic sachets, despite vowing in 2020 to stop using them.[22] The design of these sachets had been called 'evil' by Hanneke Faber, Unilever's President for Global Food and Refreshments, 'because you cannot recycle it'. The bans were then dropped by lawmakers. In Sri Lanka, the company pressed the government to reconsider a proposed ban on sachets, and then tried to manoeuvre around the ban after regulations were implemented. Unilever sells 40 billion plastic sachets each year.[22]
See also
- Dip & Squeeze
- Sugar packet
- Teabag
- Bindle
References
- ^ "The inspiring success story of CavinKare". Rediff-India. 22 March 2007.
- ^ "Packaging preferences". Archived from the original on 2012-03-01.
- ^ "Now aiming at the high end". Business Today. India. 30 October 2011.
- ^ OBrian, D (2017). "Chlorine Dioxide Pouches Can Make Produce Safer and Reduce Spoilage". AgResearch Magazine (July). USDA Agricultural Research Service. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
- ^ a b "Why are ketchup packets so... unsatisfying?". marketplace.org. Archived from the original on 2015-08-12. Retrieved 2015-07-27.
- ^ "Sanford Redmond". Sanford Redmond. Archived from the original on 2013-04-21. Retrieved 2012-11-13.
- ^ Hesser, Amanda (2000-07-30). "BUSINESS; Man Behind the Butter Pat Now Lets You Hold the Mayo, One-Handed". The New York Times.
- ^ "91/50 Packaging, (2), food, tomato sauce, plastic, 'Masterfoods Squeeze Mate', Australia, made by Conoflex packagiing, designed by Sanford Redmond, 1990 - Powerhouse Museum Collection". Powerhousemuseum.com. 2012-01-31. Retrieved 2012-11-13.
- ^ Martin, Douglas (1989-12-16). "About New York; Of Metaphysics And the Making Of Useful Things". The New York Times.
- ^ "New Ketchup Packet Allows for Dunking or Squeezing". ABC News. 2010-02-04. Retrieved 2010-07-08.
- ^ "Old Ketchup Packet Heads for Trash". wsj.com. 19 September 2011.
- ^ a b c Lerner, Sharon (2020-04-19). "Africa's Exploding Plastic Nightmare: As Africa Drowns in Garbage, the Plastics Business Keeps Booming". The Intercept. Archived from the original on 2022-03-06. Retrieved 2022-03-06.
- ^ PMID 24294481.
- ^ S2CID 205392805.
- ^ "Why pure water prices dey rise across Nigeria?". BBC News Pidgin. Archived from the original on 2022-03-29. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
- S2CID 149122566.
- PMID 26162082.
- from the original on 2022-03-06. Retrieved 2022-03-06.
- ^ "Heinz Ketchup Packet to Squeeze Into Guinness Book History", Business Wire, July 27, 2007
- ^ "Ill. town creates record ketchup packet". Usatoday.Com. 2007-07-28. Retrieved 2010-07-08.
- ^ "Trivia". Heinz. Archived from the original on 24 March 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
- ^ a b Brock, Joe; Geddie, John (22 June 2022). "Unilever's Plastic Playbook". Reuters. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
Further reading
- Yam, K. L., "Encyclopedia of Packaging Technology", John Wiley & Sons, 2009, ISBN 978-0-470-08704-6