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Companies cite a lack of clarity in the regulations, as other states, such as Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand, are also likely to implement similar bans. Standards for the ban on plastic packaging have been changed three times since March in Maharashtra.
The government of Maharashtra said in March that companies selling water and beverages in PET bottles with a capacity less than 500 ml would be banned. It also banned the manufacture, sale and distribution of plastic materials such as single-use bags, spoons, plates, PET and PETE bottles and heat-sealing articles. In addition to the ban on bottles of less than 500 ml, the state government has notified that consumers should pay .1 and .2 above the minimum retail price for a PET bottle. 39 liter and more and 0.5 liter respectively. It would be returned to the consumers when they gave the retailer blanks.
But in early April, she lifted the ban and allowed PET bottles of all sizes, thus bringing relief to large companies such as Bisleri, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, which sell their brands in 250 ml PET bottles. or above.
The state government also exempted big bags from the ban.
Then, on June 30, Maharashtra issued a notification prohibiting all PET bottles of less than 200 ml.
"From now on, we are not affected, however, frequent changes in the regulations cause chaos," said Ramesh Chauhan, president of Parle Bisleri, owner of the largest brand of packaged water from the country. "Why can not they propose a single regulation? We do not know what is the next step."
Other categories such as condiment manufacturers who sell sauce and mayonnaise in PET bottles over 200 ml are no longer affected. However, Dr. Oetker's general manager, Oliver Mirza, said, "A single notification would also be in the spirit of the ease of doing business.This would make things easier for the industry."
The last notification, however, concerns alcohol manufacturers and manufacturers of personal care products sold in PET bottles of less than 200 ml.
"Nearly 15-20% of spirits brands are selling through small bottles and miniatures in volume and will certainly be affected," said Deepak Roy, vice president of Allied Blenders and Distillers, whiskey manufacturer Officer's Choice. the biggest brand of alcohol in volume. "Replacing them with glass bottles would mean a higher cost that will have to be passed on to consumers and partly absorbed by businesses by taking a hit on margins."
The way forward lies in the adoption of the technology, said a leader of the packaging industry.
"The solution is not to ban one size or the other," said Vimal Kedia, general manager of Manjushree Technopak, the largest manufacturer of PET bottles in the country. "The solution is that industry stakeholders come together to collaborate on the issue of adopting technology to recycle plastic waste collectively."
The company manufactures PET packaging for Coca-Cola, Radico Khaitan and Diageo among others. While the industry is working on options for PET bottles, there is a cost implication, he said.
"The production systems, the molds, the machines will all have to be updated," said Kedia. "In addition, stakeholders do not know when regulations can change again."
A spokesman for Hindustan Unilever, the country's largest manufacturer of consumer goods, said the latest instructions would only have a marginal impact on him.
"In our overall portfolio, there is a small share of SKUs (storage units) that are sold in PET bottles," said the person. Most of these SKUs have a capacity greater than 200 ml. For the small part of the portfolio concerned, compliance must be ensured by switching to other authorized materials. "
The spokesperson added that HUL has promised that all plastic packaging will be reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. Industry leaders have expressed concern about the ban. implementation in other markets.
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