Say ‘No’ to single-use plastics!

Plastic management has become a world crisis. On the 150th anniversary of Mahatama Gandhi on October 2 1019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India would get rid of single-use plastics gradually by 2022. So, it is time for the industry to look for plastic alternatives and paper is by far the best option.

Plastic management has become a world crisis. It is estimated that India uses about 14 million tonnes of plastic annually and since there is no proper management of plastic waste, this has lead to widespread littering. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier imposed a blanket ban on single-use plastic recently, which has now been held off due to economic slowdown and apparent job losses. On the 150th anniversary of Mahatama Gandhi on October 2 1019, Modi said that India would get rid of single-use plastics gradually by 2022. This is for the welfare of all — environment, humans, animals and aquatic life.

The effect of ban…

Single-use plastics are widely used in FMCG and food industry. A ban on the same would have an adverse effect on the industry unless there is an alternative for the same. This would also increase the cost of packaging for lower price products like shampoo sachets, detergents, small biscuit packs, etc. as these would become unviable at these price points. Since such products are targeted at rural and lower middle class people, it would hit the business profusely.

It is estimated that plastic ban would result in more than 13,00,000 job losses and a revenue loss of Rs 100,000 crore, which India cannot afford at this time. However, since now the industry has time to find alternative solutions for plastic packaging, people are eyeing paper products as a natural solution.

The banned items…

Let’s look at what all comes under the purview of banned single-use plastics. These include polythene carry bags, polyethylene terephthalate drinking bottles of less than 200 ml capacity, single disposable cutleries such as plates, dishes, spoons, cups, glasses, forks, bowls, pouches for selling liquid products except for milk and decorative materials like flowers, to name a few.

Polythene packing for materials used in plant nurseries, medicines, blood transfusion bags and other healthcare sector items has been exempted.

What the manufacturers can do?

Since plastic is an important part of packaging, it might not be easy to discard it completely however, manufacturers can focus on recycling the plastic and also opt for other sustainable options.

Here are a few alternatives to plastic used world over. Bioplastics are made from corn, which is broken down into PLA or polylactic acid. This plastic can be used to make food grade containers and films. While, Mushroom root or Mycelium is mixed with agricultural waste to make packaging material. Bagasse, a by-product of sugarcane processing, is used for food grade packaging. It is widely used for food delivery .

Plastic alternatives…

Here are a few options for plastic alternatives:

1. Food Bags made of sustainable material: Instead of plastic, one can use food bags made of bamboo, corrugated paper, paper, etc.
2. Non woven bags: These days, whenever you go to any packaging exhibition, you are bound to see a lot of manufacturers offering non-woven bag making machine. This is because this is another environment-friendly material. It is recyclable, besides being sturdy. It can also be customise with logo at minimal cost.
3. Eco-friendly Food Packaging: Bagasse, corn starch, pine boat — all these can be used to make eco-friendly food packaging. While bagasse containers are quite popular, corn starch is used for cold applications. While, pine boat is made from residual pine or wood shavings
4. Corrugated Boxes: We all know how convenient and widely are these used for packaging of all sizes.
5. Paper/paperboard boxes: Lot of food joints have started used paper and paperboard boxes. They can be easily printed and shaped in different sizes as well.
6. Aluminium containers: These are also used by many street food vendors.
7. Wooden cutlery: It not only looks cool but is so environment-friendly.
8. Paper cups: Paper cups are now replacing plastic cups for liquids to be consumed immediately.

The above list will help you with at least the basic eco friendly packaging products. Most of them can be customised too at slightly additional costs.

So, paper and corrugated are the natural alternatives for plastic packaging. In the coming years, the industry would see a shift towards more innovations in this field.