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Multinational companies like Amazon Inc. and H & M are lobbying to soften the ban on single-use plastics imposed by an Indian state last week, according to four sources close to the case.
The state ban of Maharashtra, home to the Indian financial capital of Mumbai, could sharply increase costs for companies that rely heavily on plastic for packaging, such as retailers , beverage manufacturers and sellers of bottled water.
The Maharashtra Movement, comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi pushes a plan to completely stop the use of single-use plastic in India by 2022.
Plastic Packaging account for nearly half of all plastic waste worldwide. Minutes after first use, according to the United Nations.
Representatives of companies such as Amazon, H & M, Pepsi and Coca-Cola, as well as plastic industry organizations and lobby groups, met with Maharashtra a few days before the # 39, entry into force of the ban, on June 23, the authorities asked them to apply the rule in stages and to relax some standards, said the four sources who refused to. to be named
. seven years to find alternatives, "said Neemit Punamiya, general secretary of the Plastic Bag Manufacturers Association of India, who attended the meeting. "It can not happen overnight – we have investments, loans to pay and people to manage."
The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry counts among its members online retailers like Amazon India and Flipkart, said in a letter to the state government on June 7 that such a ban "will not be without its own share of the negative environmental impacts that are largely motivated by issues badociated with the use of alternatives".
The Internet and Mobile Association of India, which also counts Amazon and Flipkart as members, said it had asked the state to relax the rules but did not not specified what rest he was looking for.
Beverage manufacturers like Pepsi and Coca-Cola, meanwhile, want an exemption. These rules require a redemption of empty bottles at a guaranteed price, which will increase costs, said another source familiar with the discussions.
Amazon, Flipkart, Pepsi and Coca-Cola did not respond to requests for comment. H & M said in a statement that it was supporting reuse and recycling, adding that the company had asked the government to clarify the rules and find help.
The environment minister of Maharashtra said on Wednesday that the government would relax their allowing to package products such as rice and plastic legumes. They should, however, ensure that buyers return the packaging for recycling.
A senior official told Reuters that the government could moderate some aspects of the rule for online retailers or give them more time to comply. Another official confirmed that the issues raised by the industry were being addressed.
The two officials refused to be named because the talks are not public.
APPLICATION OF COMPLIANCE
The plastic ban of Maharashtra includes food containers, spoons, forks, glbades and wrappers – which, according to the industry plastics, could cost up to 150 billion rupees ($ 2.20 billion) a year and nearly 300,000 jobs.
According to an e-commerce industry source, packaging costs account for between 2% and 3.5% of processing costs – the price of shipping, delivery and clearing for discounts – and the use of biodegradable plastics or other alternatives
Cardboard boxes, for example, could cost nearly a third more than plastic packaging, according to the Industry estimates cited by the newspaper Economic Times.
In Mumbai, squads of officials attacked shops and restaurants, sometimes accompanied by police, to enforce the regulations.
Offenses could result in penalties of up to Rs 25,000 ($ 362.49) and up to three months in jail. Nidhi Choudhari, deputy city commissioner of Mumbai, told Reuters he has collected more than 1.3 million rupees in penalties up to now.
Bharati Chaturvedi, Founder of the Chintan Environmental Defense Group in New Delhi, Expressed Fear that the Plastics Industry Will Use It
"We Should Really Ban Us Severely" , she said.
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