Page 132 - CW E-Magazine (19-9-2023)

Point of View

worse in emerging economies where much of the incremental growth in plastics packaging is happening. Fundamental redesign and
innovation is needed.

A good example of the problem is the ubiquitous plastic sachet used to package all sorts of goods in India – detergents, personal care
products, and cooking oil, to name a few. While the availability of these small pack sizes has opened up new markets for them, especially
amongst the lower economic strata, they pose an immense environmental challenge due their indiscriminate disposal. What is clearly needed
is material innovation in recyclable or compostable alternatives to the currently unrecyclable multi-material applications.

There is also a need for fundamental redesign of packaging concepts and delivery mechanisms. For some segments, this means reinvention
from scratch; for others, it means scaling existing solutions or accelerating progress made so far. Bans are an option, but should be the last
resort. Instead, they have become the first. India, as well as several other countries, have outlawed use of several single use plastics (SUPs).

Reuse – economically attractive for 20% of packaging
For at least 20% of plastic packaging used globally, reuse is an economically attractive opportunity. New models that effectively replace
single-use packaging with reusable alternatives are already being demonstrated in the cleaning and personal-care markets, for example, by
only shipping active ingredients in combination with reusable dispensers. Product innovation – such as concentrated liquid detergents – are
reducing pack sizes, as well.

Extended producer responsibilities (EPRs) that require packaging consumers – such as FMCG companies – to close material loops and
bring back via recycling, as much as they have put out, have come to be mandated in several countries today. India has taken the lead with
a central information depository of the wastes reprocessed. But these are still early days. These policies are aimed at creating or expanding
markets for recycled materials, by setting mandates for incorporation of some level of recycled content into products that would otherwise
be made only from virgin materials.

There are, of course, technical challenges, with incorporating higher levels of recyclates, but astute formulation engineering, including,
for example, the incorporation of performance-enhancing additives, will help. Much of the focus from an application standpoint for recycled
plastic products so far has been on down-cycling – using recycled materials for less-demanding applications – and matching performance
of virgin materials, especially for use in the food or the pharmaceuticals industries, remains a daunting challenge that will require a much
larger emphasis on innovation.
Challenges for India
India’s consumption of plastics still represents only a small sliver of the global number, but this is no reason to be complacent. As manifest
in other countries, growing economic prosperity will only drive plastic consumption upward. India is expected to have one of the fastest
growth rates for plastics demand in the world and the challenges this will pose from the waste management and environmental standpoints
will be even more daunting than now unless mechanisms to tackle the problem are put in place now.

While the percentage share of recycled plastic waste in India is higher than the world average – thanks to the vast network that operates
largely unorganised and in deplorable conditions – India also has a disproportionately large share of mismanaged and uncollected litter lying
around. This is glaringly evident in the nooks and corners of the country – rural or urban – and will need to be tackled on a war-footing.

Changed public perceptions
While the ecological dimension of the use of plastics, especially disposable ones such as thin-film carry bags, hogs all of the headlines
and gets the industry a bad rap, the positive impacts these materials make are undeniable.
But it is very evident is that public perception of plastics has changed even as the petrochemical industry has expanded greatly in size.
When first introduced in the early 1950s, plastics were considered wonder materials that, simply put, made life better due convenience and
tremendous utility. By the turn of the century, they came to be indispensable to modern living and it was said the consumption of polypropylene –
the second largest thermoplastic – could serve as a proxy for the GDP of a nation.

Are societies now on a path to reject this class of material due to its negative effects and forgo its many benefits? Or will it enable a future
supported by innovation, redesign and harmonisation, based on circular economy principles? The answer will, in large measure, be determined
by the initiatives taken – individually and collectively – by all stakeholders, including governments and multi-lateral agencies.
Ravi Raghavan

132 Chemical Weekly September 19, 2023

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