India is moving away from single-use plastics

Estimates suggest that about seven billion of the 9.2 billion tonnes of plastic produced between 1950 and 2017 became plastic waste, ending up in landfills or dumped. While that is a problem in itself, it is only part of a wider and more serious issue. The problem of plastic pollution doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It poses environmental, social, economic and health risks to people by contributing to the climate crisis, ecosystem degradation and resource use.

India was quick to realise that the problem needed redressal. It embarked on the journey to beat plastic pollution five years ago after Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi gave a call for elimination of single-use plastics from the country by 2022. India took a defining step to curb pollution caused by littered and unmanaged plastic waste on July 1, 2022, when a ban was imposed on the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of identified single-use plastic items, which have low utility and high littering potential.

Today, we have completed one year of that journey. The ministry of environment, forest and climate change adopted a two-pronged strategy to tackle unmanaged and littered plastic waste by placing a ban on single-use plastic items and effective implementation through extended producer responsibility on plastic packaging. As is the trademark of governance under PM Modi, the strategy is being implemented using a whole-of-government approach, with steps being taken by concerned central ministries, and state and local governments.

The single-use plastics ban is ambitious, covering 19 items, including disposable plastic thermocol cutlery and straws. In addition, light-weight carry bags have been prohibited and the thickness of plastic carry bags was increased to 120 microns with effect from December 31, 2022. This helps in making the bags reusable and increases collection efficiency. Many developed countries are still to implement a ban on single-use plastics in such a comprehensive manner.

The banned single-use plastic items were identified by an expert committee constituted by the department of chemicals and petrochemicals based upon the criteria of low utility and high littering potential, coupled with the availability of alternatives. In order to give time to the industry to make the transition to alternatives, the ministry notified the ban on August 12, 2021, nearly one year before it came into effect.

The last one year of implementation of the single-use plastics ban showcased the involvement of all stakeholders, including citizens, young people, students, start-ups, innovators, industry and government; it generated many replicable and scalable success stories.

The ban triggered the development of innovative eco-alternatives, new business models, and an increase in the manufacturing capacity and uptake of eco-alternatives at scale. The introduction and use of alternatives to banned items led to the creation of new employment opportunities in sustainable green ventures. State governments and local authorities launched innovative programmes on moving towards eco-friendly alternatives.

Behavioural change and availability of eco-alternatives are key to the success of the ban, as is moving away from a use-and-throw culture. Reduction in the use of single-plastic items is one of the main focus areas under PM Modi’s Mission LiFE - Lifestyle for Environment - mantra.

It is heartening to see success stories from the states. For instance, Madhya Pradesh set up Bartan Bhandars in panchayats through self-help groups to discourage the use of banned disposable plastic cutlery. In Delhi, stores of eco-alternatives – Vikalp Stores – have been set up in markets; Tamil Nadu launched a massive campaign on using cloth bags with vending machines set up under the Meendum Manjappai campaign; Uttar Pradesh is implementing the refillable model to promote reuse of packaging material.

To encourage start-ups and innovators to develop eco-alternatives, the ministry organised a India Plastic Challenge – Hackathon 2021. Startups and manufacturers are creating eco-alternatives such as cutlery made bagasse and rice and wheat bran, straws made from dried coconut leaves, and straws made from paper, at scale.

In keeping with the development of eco-alternatives, the Bureau of Indian Standard has notified Indian Standard IS 18267 for utensils made from agri byproducts. These facts show that in the last one year, we have moved significantly in the uptake of eco-alternative cutlery, which meets Indian standard specifications.

To encourage the transition, the ministry of micro, small and medium enterprises is supporting enterprises under various schemes related to technology upgradation, creating awareness, marketing support, infrastructural support and for adopting alternatives to identified single-use plastic, as per scheme guidelines.

What India has is among the world’s biggest frameworks for guidelines for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) implementation on plastic packaging. Due to the clear framework laid down by EPR notified in February 2022, and on account of effective implementation, till date, 20,800 Producers, Importers and Brand Owners (PIBOs) and 1,976 Plastic Waste Processors (PWPs) have registered on the centralised EPR portal, as opposed to 300 in 2021. The cumulative EPR obligation of registered PIBOs is more than 3.71 million tonnes for the year 2022-23, which is a significant proportion of plastic waste generated in the country. In the last one year, 90,851 entities have been inspected for enforcement of the ban.

India’s efforts to fight the plastic menace are not just local. India piloted a resolution in 2019 for addressing pollution caused by single-use plastics which was adopted by the 4th meeting of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) in 2019.

At the fifth UNEA, held in Nairobi in 2022, India engaged constructively with member-States to develop a consensus on the resolution for driving global action on plastic pollution by setting up an intergovernmental negotiating committee for a new international legally binding instrument.

Over the last year, by adopting a whole-of-society approach with participation of all stakeholders including citizens, innovators, start-ups, industry, and the government, India has been successful in moving away from single-use plastics and adopting a sustainable lifestyle.

Bhupender Yadav is Union cabinet minister for environment, forest & climate change; and labour & employment. The views expressed are personal.