Indian industry discusses growth with sustainability

Raghavendra Rao, secretary, Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, said that controlling or managing plastic waste is the right choice for the industry. ‘As the economy grows from 2.7 trillion USD to 5 trillion USD, the manufacturing share will grow to 1 trillion USD. The chemical share in manufacturing at present is 17 percent and the goal is to take it to 25 percent of manufacturing. Various government schemes will lead to growth in plastic consumption.’

Prakash Javadekar, Minister of Environment, Forests and Climate Change said that there was a continued focus on sustainability. ‘As the economy grows, so will waste. He stressed that the flexible packaging industry must provide solutions, and the government will help implement them based on industry interaction.’

Javadekar further said that for thin bag collection, a person has to bend 400 times to collect one kilo of plastics. ‘We, therefore, need to avoid this plastic reaching the dumpsite and segregate it right in the beginning. Brand owners and users of the packaging must include on the package itself, how to use and dispose of the packaging. The government will not ban anything that can be utilized to create a circular economy.’

The Indian government will announce ban of single-use plastics on October 2 and is currently in discussion with industries to implement effective policies.

The Summit hosted three panel discussions as well, one each on defining single use plastics, strategies for fulfilling EPR obligations and experience of leading waste collection and disposal start-ups.

The Summit also held sessions highlighting advances in blown film technologies, film converters, printing, inks and adhesives and advances in packaging designs.