A 2021 audit by the Break Free from Plastic movement found that 70 per cent of plastic waste items in India had a clear consumer brand, indicating a substantial corporate footprint in the plastic crisis

Byline: Rohit Bhagwat, Office Managing Principal, ZS, Member of Global ESG Steering Committee Of ZS

India’s plastic crisis has reached a tipping point, with the country producing approximately 9.46 million tonnes of plastic waste. Even more concerning, nearly 43 per cent of this waste is single-use plastic, translating to about 26,000 tonnes of plastic waste generated daily.
A 2021 audit by the Break Free from Plastic movement found that 70 per cent of plastic waste items in India had a clear consumer brand, indicating a substantial corporate footprint in the plastic crisis. Major contributors include the booming e-commerce and food delivery sectors. In 2023, India’s e-commerce market alone accounted for 1.2 million tonnes of plastic waste, much of it single-use.

Aware of the mounting plastic crisis, Indian corporations realise that they have a responsibility to lead in developing and implementing sustainable alternatives. By setting ambitious Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals and launching campaigns against single-use plastics, they can drive transformation across their operations and influence consumer behaviour. If we get it right, India could go from being part of the problem to a world leader in solving it.

Reimagining Plastics: India’s Role And The Promise Of Innovative Plastic Alternatives

India’s plastic footprint is a call to action. One corrective measure includes setting up a Plastics Innovation Hub as a central point for research, development and commercialisation of sustainable alternatives. This will be supported by a digital backbone linking material flow information across the plastic lifecycle. Additionally, creating local hubs where manufacturing, collection and reprocessing materials occur in one place will serve as one-stop-shops for sustainable materials.

Online platforms could educate and promote circular businesses, while government incentives and corporate commitments could help scale up both supply and demand for plastic alternatives.

Most importantly, the country’s diverse geography, from its coastlines to its heartlands, offers a readymade canvas for sustainable innovation. For instance, India’s abundant sources of raw materials for bioplastic production, including sugarcane, corn and other agricultural residues, provide a competitive advantage for manufacturers. Niti Aayog has also come forward with a comprehensive roadmap to promote seaweed cultivation in India, outlining steps for research, investment, training, infrastructure development and market promotion, since among bioplastics, seaweed-based materials stand out for their potential to biodegrade quickly and sequester carbon dioxide.

Other plastic alternatives include mushroom packaging, utilising mycelium, to create biodegradable packaging materials that are both eco-friendly and customisable. Liquid wood, a biopolymer made from lignin, offers another versatile alternative for various applications, from toys to speaker containers.

With a wave of innovative alternatives offering a more sustainable future, the Indian bioplastics market, valued at USD 188.5 million in 2019, is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.5 per cent from 2020 to 2027.

Economic Viability And Corporate Responsibility
However, the economic viability of plastic alternatives remains a hurdle, with higher production costs posing challenges for widespread adoption. This is where corporate responsibility comes into play. It’s time for companies to dig deep, invest in research and development and find ways to make these alternatives more affordable.

Addressing the plastic crisis requires a comprehensive approach that extends beyond material innovation. Corporate firms like ZS play a key role in this ecosystem by eliminating single-use plastics from India offices and operations to create sustainable impact. Encouraging partners and employees to adopt sustainable practices to work together towards growth that elevate firm’s values to operate sustainably. In the recent times, integration of AI and machine learning emerges as a promising development in optimising production and disposal processes, with the government supporting this transition through policy measures, such as extended producer responsibility and incentives for sustainable packaging.

Firms can also set examples by committing to operate ethically and with integrity, addressing their own climate impact. For instance, ZS recently had its net zero targets validated by the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi), demonstrating a commitment to long-term sustainability.

Last but not the least, forward-thinking companies need to keep implementing comprehensive waste management strategies in their offices, including the elimination of single-use plastics through the adoption of glass bottles and biodegradable cutlery, and programmes to recycle plastic waste. These efforts help create circular economy models that other businesses can emulate.

Looking ahead, it’s becoming clear that tackling our plastic problem isn’t about finding a single silver bullet. Instead, we need to cultivate a diverse ecosystem of sustainable materials, practices and technologies. The key to success lies in collaboration. We need all hands on deck – innovators dreaming up new solutions, corporations implementing sustainable practices, policymakers creating supportive frameworks and consumers making conscious choices.