In November 2023, Greenpeace UK released a powerful report calling out Unilever and their Dove brand for hypocrisy — denouncing toxic beauty standards while perpetuating environmental racism. It exposed Unilever as the world’s biggest corporate seller of plastic sachets and revealed that the consumer giant sells a whopping 1,700 plastic sachets around the world every single second.  That’s enough sachets sold per year to wrap around the Earth 100 times if you line them up side by side.

These tiny plastic sachets have been hugely controversial for decades because of the widespread harm and destruction they cause, especially in Global South countries without adequate waste infrastructure. Because they are made from a multi-layered mix of plastics and other materials, and are usually small in size, they are valueless to recyclers and largely not collected. Instead, they either end up polluting rivers and oceans, or used as fuel on open fires or cement kilns, releasing toxic chemicals into the air as they burn. In Indonesia, sachet waste makes up 16% of all plastic waste and in an audit of efforts to remove the plastic waste clogging rivers in Bali, Unilever was found to be the largest source of sachet pollution.

Since the campaign launch, over a million people around the world have taken online and offline action demanding that Dove and Unilever ditch plastic sachets and invest in reuse and refill. They have emailed Unilever’s CEOs, marked Dove and Unilever products in stores with anti-plastic pollution stickers, and taken actions that deliver messages directly to senior staff at both national and global Unilever HQs. In parallel, Greenpeace offices have been working with regional governments and allies to prove the effectiveness of reuse and refill-based alternatives to sachets, with the bigger goal of advocating for wider changes. Greenpeace Philippines’ Kuha sa Tingi project, which provides people in Manila  with affordable, accessible and environmentally friendly alternatives to single-use plastic sachets, provides a strong case for how refill and reuse systems can be integrated into sari-sari stores (neighbourhood shops) and still be economically sustainable.

Some things have shifted as a result of all of this focused effort. Unilever has now put its weight behind the Global Plastics Treaty delivering reductions in plastic production. This display of support is an essential move in our fight for tackling the plastics problem — especially because petrochemical companies have been blocking efforts to curb plastic production. Unilever is also currently exploring multi-company reuse focused projects in places like Indonesia and Canada that can work at scale, including ones that could replace sachets entirely.

Sadly, we still have ZERO action on the crucial call to urgently ditch plastic sachets.

We decided to calculate what this meant in terms of real world impact. Our analysis concludes that in the 608 days since our campaign launch, Unilever has sold a mind melting additional 89 billion plastic sachets (89,303,040,000) worldwide. 

How many people have gotten sick from the  air pollution arising from these plastic sachets being burned? How many children have suffered from malaria after they blocked waste water drains? How many rivers, streams and oceans have these sachets polluted, and how many more creatures have been impacted? That is impossible to quantify.

In 2019, Unilever’s then President for Global Food & Refreshments referred to multi-layer plastic (which includes sachets) as ‘evil’. Since then, they have sold about 321 billion more. 

During our first meeting with Unilever back in 2017, we were told that the company was prioritising tackling sachet pollution — and yet, they continued to produce billions of these sachets. 

How is it that we keep seeing the same pattern: recognize that there is a problem, understand public demand for change, and then consistently fail to take meaningful action?

For a company that likes to present itself as a leader on sustainability, Unilever’s continued reliance on sachets raises a serious question to their commitment to a greener future. It’s past time for them to step up and take action. 

Let’s end the age of plastic!

Ask world leaders to support a strong Global Plastic Treaty that addresses the whole life cycle of plastic.

Take action

Louise Edge is a Corporate Strategist for the Plastic Free Future Campaign at Greenpeace UK.

Amsterdam, The Netherlands – A new Greenpeace International report released today reveals that over 50 million people in 11 countries [1] are at risk of exposure to hazardous air pollution from plastic linked petrochemical production. The findings intensify pressure on negotiators at the Global Plastics Treaty talks in Geneva to secure a treaty that tackles the problem at its source: plastic production.

Graham Forbes, Global Plastics Campaign Lead for Greenpeace USA and Greenpeace Head of Delegation for the Global Plastics Treaty negotiation said: “What this report shows is that the plastics crisis is a public health emergency. The Global Plastics Treaty must deliver a 75% cut in plastic production by 2040 to reduce escalating threats to human and planetary health. People are being poisoned so fossil fuel and petrochemical companies can churn out more unnecessary plastic. Without a treaty that cuts production, the plastic crisis will only grow worse.”

The report, Every Breath You Take: Air Pollution Risks from Petrochemicals Production for the Plastics Supply Chain, shifts the lens to midstream level plastic production—to the petrochemical plants that produce precursors to plastic and expose frontline communities living near to these facilities who are potentially facing exposure to dangerous air pollutants.

During the production of feedstock, petrochemical facilities emit a suite of harmful airborne substances typically including Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), nitrogen oxides (NOₓ), and sulfur oxides (SOₓ) and particulate matter (PM). Studies report higher concentrations of these pollutants near petrochemical facilities, with proximity linked to increased illness—raising a serious cause for concern.

Key findings from the report include:

• Over 51 million people in the 11 countries studied live within 10 km of plastics-linked petrochemical facilities; 16 million live within 5 km. In every country studied, residential areas lie within 10 km of plastic-linked petrochemical plants.
• The United States has the highest number of people living at a distance that is linked to elevated risk—13 million, especially in Texas and Louisiana.
• One in four people in the Netherlands live at a distance that is linked to elevated risk of exposure to air pollution emissions, including toxic emissions, from petrochemical plants. It has the highest proportion of its population at risk with 4.5 million people or 25.6% of the entire population within the exposure zones assessed in the analysis. The country with the second highest proportion is Switzerland at 10.9% of the population.
• The pollution created by some petrochemical plants in the regions reviewed for the report is transboundary. Several plants are located in border zones, affecting communities in Austria, Poland, Singapore, Belgium, France and Germany.[2]
• In documented case studies, communities near petrochemical facilities suffer disproportionately from cancer, respiratory disease, and premature death. The UN has labeled some of these areas “sacrifice zones.”

The report also warns of industry plans to expand global plastic production through 2050, which would create more sacrifice zones, more waste exported to low-income countries, and more short-lived products driving the climate, health and waste crisis.

The global Greenpeace network is demanding that the Global Plastics Treaty must reduce plastic production by at least 75% by 2040 to protect people’s health, the climate and the environment. The next round of negotiations will happen on August 5 to 14, 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland.

ENDS

Full report: Every Breath You Take: Air Pollution Risks from Petrochemicals Production for the Plastics Supply Chain

Photos and videos can be accessed in the Greenpeace Media Library. 

Interactive maps of petrochemical production zones

Notes: 

[1] The report, Every Breath You Take: Air Pollution Risks from Petrochemicals Production for the Plastics Supply Chain, identified the locations of petrochemical facilities linked to plastics in 11 countries: Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, South Korea, Canada, USA, Germany, United Kingdom, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. The countries were selected because of their significant petrochemical presence or association with major plastic-related concerns.

[2] The transboundary zones include populations in Austria and Poland (from German facilities), Singapore (from Malaysian facilities) Belgium and Germany (from Dutch facilities) France and Germany (from Swiss facilities).

Contacts:

Angelica Carballo Pago, Global Plastics Campaign Media Lead, Greenpeace USA, +63 917 1124492, angelica.pago@greenpeace.org

Greenpeace International Press Desk, +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours), pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org

From a deep sea mining protest in Malaysia to activists occupying an LNG import terminal in Greece here are a few of our favourite images from Greenpeace’s work around the world this week.

Malaysia – Greenpeace Malaysia activists and Malaysian actress Sharifah Sofia hold a banner in front of the deep-sea vessel “Hidden Gem” which is anchored off Brunei Bay in Labuan, Malaysia. The action to take a stand against the deep sea mining industry, an imminent threat that has the potential to cause irreversible damage to our oceans and its ecosystem.

The Hidden Gem, owned by AllSeas and commissioned by mining company, The Metals Company (TMC) in a reckless bid to exploit the ocean floor by mining in international waters. Despite growing global opposition and increasing scientific warnings about the possible long-lasting impacts deep sea mining can result in, TMC is aggressively pushing to bypass international safeguards set by the International Seabed Authority (ISA), to begin operations under outdated agreements pushed forward as part of the Trump administration. 

TMC confirmed in late April that they have submitted the first-ever commercial mining application to the US government, with the company stating they are “ready to go”.

Greece – Greenpeace Greece activists occupy the Alexandroupolis LNG import terminal, located in an on paper protected Natura 2000 area of the Aegean Sea to draw attention to the devastating climate and environmental impacts of fossil gas. As wildfires rage across Greece, activists carried out multiple actions since the morning. Greenpeace is calling for a ban on all new fossil fuel projects in the EU.

Indonesia – A number of Greenpeace Indonesia activists staged an action wearing full firefighting costumes for forest and peatland fires, carrying banners that read ‘Not Yet Free from Haze’, ‘Restore Peatlands, Save the Climate’, and ‘Forests Not Fires’ at the Fountain Roundabout in Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia.

South Africa – ​​Greenpeace Africa activists hung a giant banner with a photo of South African president Cyril Ramaphosa reading ‘End Financial Apartheid #TaxTheSuperRich’, ahead of the G20’s 3rd Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors’ meeting in Durban. Other activists hold a banner with the portrait of Nelson Mandela.

Greenpeace is demanding the G20 host push ahead on accelerating efforts to impose a wealth tax on the world’s billionaires and to support the UN Tax Convention for new and fair global tax rules.

Jamaica – A team from Greenpeace International fly huge ocean themed kites together with a banner reading “Protect The Deep Sea” outside the Jamaica Conference Centre in Kingston.

With the International Seabed Authority (ISA) currently meeting in the building. Greenpeace is calling on governments at the ISA to stop deep sea mining before it starts and protect the deep sea.

Greenpeace has been a pioneer of photo activism for more than 50 years, and remains committed to bearing witness and exposing environmental injustice through the images we capture.

To see more Greenpeace photos and videos, please visit our Media Library.

Durban, South Africa – Commenting on the outcome of the G20 3rd Finance Ministers and Central Bank Ministerial Meeting, Greenpeace welcomed the G20 ministers’ support for international tax negotiations at the United Nations. However, Ministers did not reference the proposal introduced under Brazil’s G20 presidency last year to tax the ultra-rich.[1]

Fred Njehu, Global Political Lead of the Fair Share campaign, Greenpeace Africa, said: “This show of support for the UN Tax Convention is a welcome step in the right direction for new global tax rules that work for everyone, not just the select few. The G20 must now put words into action and engage constructively in the process as a global multilateral platform that will shape and determine the future of taxation, one rooted in equity, transparency and justice.

“However, the G20 Finance Ministers are squandering an incredible opportunity to end financial apartheid and achieve a breakthrough on wealth taxation that could redistribute much needed funds to tackle the social, economic, environmental and climate polycrisis. Equality is not the accumulation of wealth and power in the hands of a few billionaires. We need to stand up to the power of billionaires who are a threat to our democracies, security and wellbeing.[2]

“Turbulent economic times like these demand global cooperation and a multilateral response. G20 ministers have an historic obligation to help steer the global economy and environment towards safer waters. They must listen to growing public calls and build the political momentum for taxing the super-rich and set new global tax rules that work for all to achieve social and climate justice.”

END

Notes:

[1] New global tax rules in an UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation are being negotiated, from now until 2027. It is a historic opportunity to redistribute power and wealth, and foster tax transparency and accountability. It aims to take control of global tax rules from the rich OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries to place it in the hands of the 193 member states of the United Nations. 

[2] Greenpeace: Ramaphosa, G20 must end financial apartheid with tax on super-rich

Contacts:

Ibrahima Ka Ndoye, International Communications Coordinator, Greenpeace Africa. +221778437172, indoye@greenpeace.org.

Greenpeace International Press Desk, +31 (0)20 718 2470 (available 24 hours), pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org

Durban, South Africa – Greenpeace Africa has demanded G20 host and South African President Ramaphosa push ahead on accelerating efforts to impose a wealth tax on the world’s billionaires and to support the UN Tax Convention for new and fair global tax rules.  

Ahead of the G20’s 3rd Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors’ meeting, Greenpeace Africa activists dropped a 15 metre long x 2 metre high banner from a highway bridge near King Shaka International Airport with a photo of Cyril Ramaphosa and a message that said: ‘End Financial Apartheid. Tax The Super Rich’.

Cynthia Moyo, Lead Campaigner, Greenpeace Africa, said: “It’s outrageous that billionaires keep getting richer off a broken global tax system while millions across Africa and the world are pushed deeper into poverty and climate chaos. This is financial apartheid. South Africa understands the cost of injustice. Just as Mandela led the fight against political apartheid, President Ramaphosa now has a chance to lead the G20 in dismantling financial apartheid by taxing the super-rich and backing the UN Tax Convention. This is a fight for justice, dignity, and a future where wealth serves people, not the powerful few.”

The action comes after an announcement at the UN Financing for Development conference that Spain, Brazil and South Africa are launching an initiative to tax the super-rich and the recent BRICS statement in support of the UN Tax Convention.[1] [2] [3]

Fred Njehu, Global Political Lead of the Fair Share campaign, Greenpeace Africa, said: “We are on the cusp of momentous change. There is growing public and political momentum for taxing the super-rich and new global tax rules that work for all to achieve social and climate justice.

“This is a historic opportunity for President Ramaphosa, who must seize this chance to lead the G20 in an economic direction that will serve not only the people of South Africa and the continent, but the majority world, by redistributing funds to tackle the social, environmental and climate polycrisis.

“We ask G20 countries to support and engage constructively in the UN Tax Convention process as a global multilateral platform that will shape and determine the future of taxation, one rooted in transparency, accountability, equity and justice.”

Globally, billionaire wealth grew three times faster in 2024 than in 2023.[4] In Africa, the four richest people have more wealth than half of the region’s 750 million people combined. Since 2020, the average income of the richest 1% in Africa has increased five times faster than that of the bottom 50%.[5]

ENDS

Photos and Videos can be downloaded from the Greenpeace Media Library

Notes:

[1] At the recently concluded 4th International Conference on Financing for Development in Seville, South Africa had joined the ranks of Spain and Brazil in forming a coalition of willing countries to work on taxing the super-rich and to support fair taxation at the upcoming UN Tax Convention negotiations. Greenpeace’s press release 

[2] BRICS leaders’ endorsement of the UN framework for international tax cooperation. 

[3] New global tax rules in an UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation are being negotiated, from now until 2027. It is a historic opportunity to redistribute power and wealth, and foster tax transparency and accountability. It aims to take control of global tax rules from the rich OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries to place it in the hands of the 193 member states of the United Nations. 

[4] Oxfam report: Takers not Makers: The unjust poverty and unearned wealth of colonialism

[5] Oxfam report: Africa’s Inequality Crisis and the Rise of the Super-Rich

Contacts:

Ferdinand Omondi, Communications and Storytelling Manager, Greenpeace Africa, +254 722 505 233 , fomondi@greenpeace.org. 

Ibrahima Ka Ndoye, International Communications Coordinator, Greenpeace Africa, +221778437172, indoye@greenpeace.org.

Greenpeace International Press Desk, +31 (0)20 718 2470 (available 24 hours), pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org 

On June 23rd, just days before Billionaire Jeff Bezos’s Venice wedding, Greenpeace Italy and UK grassroots group called Everyone Hates Elon dropped a 20-meter banner in Piazza San Marco: “If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more tax”.

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A post shared by Everyone Hates Elon (@everyonehateselon_)

A video of the action broke the internet and quickly reached millions of views, while being picked up by major media outlets across the globe. It helped fuel the tax justice conversation in mainstream media like never before! Ranging from the BBC, The Times of India, The Times Live in South Africa, to every corner of the world. The message echoed far beyond the canals of Venice. The banner sparked global attention, with people all over the world resonating with the message. 

The wedding cost soared from the initial reported amount of US$11 million to nearly US$50 million. This is a ludicrous figure against the backdrop of global poverty and a planet burning while billionaires flew in on private jets to party in luxury. And it all happened in Venice, a city whose delicate existence is a stark symbol of what’s at stake in a changing climate.

The message tapped into a growing call for governments to tax the super-rich. It echoed a growing, global frustration: Why are billionaires partying while the planet burns?

The Movement for Fair Taxation Continues to Grow

The message from Venice reached far beyond the city, it echoed all the way to Sevilla, where world leaders gathered for the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (#FfD4). 

The streets of Seville came alive with energy, outrage and demand for change amidst geopolitical tensions. We marched in solidarity with the broader #TaxTheSuperRich coalition, alongside many other civil society organisations from across the globe, calling out a system rigged in favour of billionaires and corporate polluters, at immense cost to people and planet.

Among the creative protests? A float featuring Elon Musk, well, not the real one, but a spot-on stand-in, doing what he’s become infamous for: wrecking the planet for profit. 

At the same time, real progress was being made inside the conference halls. A new coalition of countries, led by Spain, Brazil and South Africa, committed to advancing tax justice by taxing the super-rich and supporting the UN Tax Convention that is currently being negotiated.

Sevilla was a crucial moment… A glimmer of hope is the new coalitions of countries that have pledged bold action to tax the super-rich and polluting corporations.

– Fred Njehu, Global Political Lead at Greenpeace Africa

South Africa’s Role: From Leadership to Legacy

It’s crucial that South Africa use the G20 presidency to further advance the action on new fair global tax rules, not just for the country, but for the continent and the world. Now, as the G20 Finance Ministers meeting takes place in Durban, all eyes are on President Cyril Ramaphosa.

South Africa has taken a bold stance in advancing tax justice. Now it must act on that promise. The G20 is a chance to lead by example, to push for bold tax reforms that deliver for people and the planet, not profit and pollution.

The Stakes Are Too High to Ignore

While billionaires like Bezos and Musk flaunt unimaginable wealth, using megayachts, private jets, and legal loopholes, millions of people are struggling with the fallout of climate collapse, economic injustice, and underfunded public services.

This isn’t about envy. It’s about accountability, democracy, and survival.

A fair tax on the super-rich could:

• Invest in sustainable, affordable and efficient energy and transportation, and all those climate solutions governments say we can’t afford.
• Support climate action and disaster recovery
• Fund universal basic services such as quality healthcare, affordable housing, education, water and sanitation
• Provide social protection for the most vulnerable

A Tipping Point for the Movement

Across platforms and headlines, millions of people are engaging, sharing, and demanding change. The tax justice movement is a global force backed by the broad majority of people around the world.

And with the UN Tax Convention underway and new tax initiatives being announced, this is a once-in-a-generation chance to reset the rules.

Demand governments tax the super-rich! Because this isn’t just about a banner or a billionaire wedding. It’s about breaking a system that protects wealth, not people or the planet.

Tax the super-rich

Together, let’s urge governments to tax the super-rich and fund a green and fair future.

Add your name

Amrita Ranjit is Global Digital Engagement Specialist for the Fair Share campaign at Greenpeace Africa

From a protest calling for the protection of the Mayan jungle in Mexico to the 40th anniversary of the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior here are a few of our favourite images from Greenpeace’s work around the world this week.

Mexico – As part of the campaign “Mexico to the cry of Selva”, activists from the environmental organization Greenpeace Mexico held a protest on Monday morning at the delegation of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) in Cancun, with the aim of demanding that the agency stop authorizations to exploit banks of stone material in the Mayan jungle, known locally as “sascaberas”.

The sascaberas have devastated close to 10 thousand hectares of jungle, driven by the uncontrolled real estate growth associated with massive tourism and by works of megaprojects such as the Mayan Train.

New Zealand – The Rainbow Warrior arrived in Auckland, New Zealand to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the bombing of the original Rainbow Warrior and the death of photographer Fernando Pereira. The Greenpeace flagship has just returned from taking action on bottom trawling on the Chatham Rise off New Zealand’s East Coast.

Germany – Together with the artist duo VIDEO.SCKRE: Julia Heinisch & Frederic Sontag, Greenpeace and the exhibition project HALLENKUNST are creating a mural for more global justice, peace and climate protection over the course of seven days. The occasion is an international campaign by Greenpeace with the inhabitants of the Marshall Islands in the Pacific. The motif of the painting was developed in consultation with the artist Geovannie Johnson from the Marshall Islands.

Germany – Activists from Greenpeace Germany protest in front of the Reichstag building on the banks of the Spree with a giant inflatable pink octopus (8 x 10 x 5 metres) for the protection of the deep sea. They want to draw attention to the upcoming decisions on deep-sea mining during the annual general meeting of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) in Jamaica. With the inflatable deep-sea animal and banners, the protesters are calling on the German government to oppose the start of deep-sea mining in international waters and to vote in favour of a moratorium.

Greenpeace has been a pioneer of photo activism for more than 50 years, and remains committed to bearing witness and exposing environmental injustice through the images we capture.

To see more Greenpeace photos and videos, please visit our Media Library.