This material is very light and hence rag-pickers are not interested in collecting them.”The biggest challenge is collection. But concerted efforts to address this waste management issue are still missing. This packaging material is used by the industry so as to increase the shelf-life of food products. FMCG prices will go up once some of the costlier alternative materials are used.According to him, the industry has started exploring ways to get multi-layered plastics recycled.”Indian plastic packaging industry has grown around 20 per cent CAGR in last five years and is estimated to achieve $32 billion annual turnover by 2025.
The deadline ended last year and the industry was not been able to find alternate materials for packing FMCG products. Multi-layered plastic is commonly used in packaging most of the FMCG products including, snacks, biscuits, candy, tea powder, coffee powder, edible oil etc.According to Suresh Narayanan, Chairman and Managing Director of Nestle, FMCG companies have been able to provide products at affordable prices only due to the cheaper packaging products.. Nestle had run a pilot project early this year in Dehradun and Mussoorie in which 10 empty packets of Maggie noodles could be exchanged for a free Maggie packet.In 2016, the government had stipulated that the “manufacture and use of multi-layered plastic, if any, should be phased out in two years time”. After the industry missed the deadline to phase out multi-layered packaging material in 2018, it finds recycling as an alternative.”Further, multi-layered packaging is essential for packing food products to keep it fresh for a longer period, said Vimal Kedia, Managing Director, Manjushree Technopack.Chennai: While the government is planning to ban a few single use plastic products, multi-layered plastics used for packing FMCG products will still remain. Around three-fourth of this market is meant for packaging FMCG and this is a concern for government,” said Varun Gupta, Director, Calco Poly Technik. Global FMCG majors Unilever and Nestle want 100 per cent of its packaging to be recyclable and reusable by 2025.The industry will have to pool in resources to set up an eco-system in which rag-pickers Automotive Interior Injection Plastic Part Molding Manufacturer are incentivised to collect these plastics”. Some of the large FMCG companies also have started initiatives to address the plastic waste.Packaging industry has decided to work together and will be presenting a proposal in this regard before the government
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