Making Plastic-Free India A Reality: One Step at a Time

India, along with several other nations, has begun to take action to reduce plastic production, use, and disposal, by banning single-use plastic and strengthening waste management infrastructure

As the world realises the inherent seriousness of climate change, the use of plastic has been recognised as one of the greatest environmental and health hazards of the 21st century. Now, exceeding the biomass of all land and marine animals combined, plastic waste has long-term implications on all aspects of the ecosystem, be it land, oceans or the atmosphere. Plastics also account for over 3 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

India, along with several of its global counterparts, has thus begun to take action to reduce plastic production, use and disposal, by banning single-use plastic and by strengthening waste management infrastructure. However, it will have to do much more to manifest its dream of eradicating plastic pollution forever.

The global picture

The worrying popularity of plastic, owing to factors like low production costs, flexibility and durability of the material, and the overall convenience to the consumer, has made it an integral part of the global economy. Emerging world economies in Asia alone produce half of the 400 million tonnes of annual plastic waste, an estimate which has doubled from 2000 to 2019. An even bigger area of concern is its mismanagement.

According to OECD’s Global Plastic Outlook Report 2022 only 9 per cent of plastic waste is recycled while 22 per cent is mismanaged, globally. Plastic waste is also projected to almost triple by 2060, with half of all plastic waste still being landfilled and less than a fifth recycled.

Some countries have tried to move the needle on plastic pollution in the past. By banning single-use plastic (SUP) through legislative action, France vows to curtail the half of plastic bags by 2025, whereas China has made it illegal for retailers to hand out plastic bags for free. Sweden, with its recycling infrastructure that receives trash and burns it in incinerators, and Rwanda, taking radical measures to outlaw all non-biodegradable plastic, serve models for nations hoping to reduce their plastic-waste generation in the coming future.

Plastic pollution in India

India’s plastic waste production has increased by more than double its 2015 size, with an average annual increase of 21.8 per cent. Annually, India generates over 3.5 million tonnes of plastic waste, as per government findings. The plastic processing industry is also a burgeoning sector in the Indian economy with over 30,000 units and an annual revenue of Rs 2.25 lakh crore, employing over 40 lakh people. While India’s challenges are dwarfed by the outputs of more developed nations in the Global North, they will need to be resolved gradually but effectively.

Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2021

The implementation of Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2021, on July 1, 2022, by the Government of India has attempted to prohibit the production, importation, stockpiling, sale, distribution, and use of single-use plastic (SUP) items. By banning the use of SUPs with low utility and high littering potential, throughout the country, India has attempted to expedite its progress under SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 14.1 (reducing marine pollution), among others.

While the step will certainly reiterate the importance of the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) in order to bring down national plastic waste outputs, there remains a long way to go in India’s journey towards becoming considerably plastic-free. Given the existing utility of the banned SUP items, especially for the FMCG sector, the central government must gather industrial support to ensure that the ban is properly imposed. The way forward will require the government to raise public awareness, offer feasible alternatives to industries, incentivise plastic-free businesses, enhance waste management infrastructure and increase litter collection rates, through far-seeing and well-monitored policy solutions.

India must also attempt to forge a global cooperation to eliminate plastic pollution, as envisioned by the United Nations Environment Assembly. By pushing world’s major contributors of the plastic waste to curb plastic demand and improve recyclability, India can create for itself an economic cushion in this endeavour at the global stage.

Sustained efforts by the industry

Over the past few years, industry leaders have made some efforts in minimising carbon emissions, building climate resilient infrastructure and reducing their own plastic waste. In 2019, over 22 FMCG companies pledged to reduce their plastic footprint in the next two years. Dabur, for instance, aimed to become plastic waste neutral by March 2021 by collecting, processing and recycling 20,000 metric tonnes of post-consumer plastic waste from across the country.

Companies like Reliance Industries and Diageo also planned to increase their investments towards plastic waste management the same year. By 2022, Proctor & Gamble also joined the league to become a plastic neutral company by recycling over 19,000 metric tonnes of plastic waste. Online marketplaces like Flipkart and Myntra have also vowed to attain net zero carbon emission targets and have made efforts to eliminate SUP packaging from their supply chains by 100 per cent.

Development consultancies have greatly aided state efforts by providing technical R&D assistance and by remodelling workplaces to inspire plastic waste eradication. International development consultancy group IPE Global Ltd. adopted a 100 per cent e-waste disposal policy in 2016, gradually moving to a near 50 per cent reduction in plastic consumption in 2021. Its other measures include segregation of dry and wet waste and increasing daylight penetration to smartly reduce energy consumption. Similar industrial efforts will help take India one step forward in achieving its environmental commitments under Agenda 2030 as soon as possible. 

 

The author is the director of IPE Global (International Development Consulting Firm). She is instrumental for planning and coordinating the effective delivery of internal and external communications which positively promotes the Group's vision, strategy, and client engagement. She is also a managing trustee of Centre for Urban and Regional Excellence (CURE), an NGO that champions the cause of women empowerment, education, and social sector.