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Dr.Vijay Habbu, Adjunct Professor, Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT) and Mr. Vagish Dixit, President, PACE
As part of Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment), the Indian Government unveiled a list of 75 lifestyle practices that can promote climate-friendly behaviour. These actions are listed under 7 categories namely energy saving, water saving, reduced use of single-use plastic, sustainable food systems, waste reduction (swachhata actions), adopting healthy lifestyle and e-waste handling. For reducing plastic use, 11 actions were highlighted in which one was use of recycled plastic over virgin plastic wherever possible.
This also leaves room for a special kind of plastic called Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) which will need to be seen from a new prism of a green economy. PET plastic packaging can be made not only from its virgin grade but also from recycled PET (rPET) as it is upto 100% recyclable. It not only recaptures the energy, but also translates into numerous life cycles for PET plastic bottles.
Currently, all over the world, everyone is focusing on circular economy, and so is India. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has played a pivotal role in promoting circular economy across all key sectors by actively formulating policies and promoting projects to drive the country towards a circular economy. Circular economy is cyclic in nature, directing the economy towards reuse, as opposed to waste at the end of a product’s lifecycle.
According to the Chemicals and Petrochemicals Manufacturers Association of India, bottle production from PET accounts for 30% of the global demand. The PET packaging and recycling ecosystem in terms of GDP value is an astounding Rs 7.5 lakh crores and the industry is also one of the largest employment generators in the country, with an employment footprint exceeding 70 lakhs. It is no wonder then that over 50% of rag picker’s earnings come from collecting used PET products.
Indian PET recycling industry is expected to grow exponentially in the coming years, as rPET will also be used in direct food contact applications soon, as it is free from Bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates as well as any other endocrine-disrupting chemicals.
In a recently launched report by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), it was stated that almost 97% of the collected PET bottles are channelized for making fabric and all the bottles converted to fabric are then claimed to have been recycled as per the existing policies in the country. Many brands have recently taken charge of recycling pet bottles into garments, which is one method of reducing waste generation. Interestingly, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and Bisleri recycle millions of discarded mineral water, cold drinks and other PET bottles to make eco-friendly uniforms for their staff, with the help of advanced technologies.
The Indian PET recycling industry’s turnover will be more than Rs. 13,500 Crores ($1700 million) in the next 4-5 years. PET is slowly and surely becoming the first material of choice in rigid packages, due to its ease of recyclability and its current established recycling systems in India Another focus which needs to be highlighted is the ban on Single-Use Plastics (SUPs) by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC). PET bottles are not banned but are often clubbed with other non-recyclable plastics undermining its unique properties. Small PET bottles (under 1 Litre) fall under threat of ban because of misinformation and faulty linkage with the SUP ban.
However, industry associations like PET Packaging Association for Clean Environment (PACE India) are conducting various initiatives and campaigns to dispel myths and advocate reuse and recyclability around PET plastics.
Today in India, more than 1000 Reverse Vending Machines (RVM) have been installed to encourage the public on the need for recycling and create awareness in the minds of decision-makers about the vast infrastructure existing for PET recycling in India. Recently Coca-Cola India has partnered with 10-Min grocery delivery service, Zepto, for a unique ‘return and recycle’ initiative for PET bottles. This joint initiative seeks to establish an organized process of collection of PET bottles with 100% traceability, to ensure effective plastic waste management.
PET plastic bottles are a popular choice for packaging due to the numerous benefits they provide both to manufacturers and consumers. However, there are myths related to them that are not accurate. For e.g., ‘Plastic bottle left in a car will leach carcinogens into the soft drink it contains’ but there are no carcinogens present in PET plastic. There is also a surprising myth that PET plastics can cause cancer whereas this is yet again factually incorrect. PET products are free from phthalates (i.e., phthalate ester plasticizers) and have no harmful consequences on human body.
A WHO report mentions that PET does not produce any cancer or endocrine-disrupting chemicals and it can be safely recycled. Another common myth is also circulated that glass or aluminum bottles are better than PET bottles. In a comparison of the environmental footprints of bottles, PET often performs better than glass or aluminium bottles as less carbon is emitted during the production of PET bottles than the production of glass bottles. Also, PET bottles are strong, light and shatterproof unlike glass or aluminium bottles.
PET plastics have a low carbon footprint which contributes to India’s goal to achieve net zero emissions by 2070. A combination of renewable energy use and the inclusion of PET/rPET can enable India to meet carbon neutrality commitments in line with the larger vision of a circular economy. We all need to ensure that recycling rates continue to grow and the industry urges people to recycle plastic waste including plastic bottles and not discard them as litter.
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Views expressed above are the author's own.
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