Glass makers seek govt support to promote sector

Glass manufacturers today sought regulatory changes to allow enhanced use of glass in packaging and also demanded an incentive model to promote recycling from just 40 per cent now.
"Glass is completely recyclable item without any loss in quantity and quality besides being an eco-friendly material. We seek regulatory framework to increase glass in packaging," said All India Glass Manufacturers' Federation's secretary Vinit Kapur.
He was speaking on the sidelines of International Conference on Advances in Glass Science and Technology (ICAGST-2017) in association with CSIR-Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute.
Manufacturers also sought subsidy in inputs, particularly in natural gas which comprises 30 per cent of the cost so that prices of glass products could be brought down, Kapur said.

In European countries, the recycle rate of glass bottles is 80 per cent due to bottle bank concept and incentive to return the bottles.
Kapur believes such attempts could push recycling in India restricted at just 40 per cent.
According to the federation, Indian glass container market is estimated to be around USD 1.1 billion and by 2020, it is expected double growing at about 18 per cent, he said.
Flat glass manufacturing capacity in India is at 5000-6000 tonnes per day while container glass capacity stands at 13,000 tonnes per day, according to the federation.