Page 2 - Plastics

Breaking our unyielding addiction to plastics is easier said than done

Efforts to standardise production processes to ease recycling will have more of an impact on the environment

Microplastics in all Indian salt, sugar brands: How much are you consuming?

A test carried out on 10 types of salt and five types of sugar, purchased from online and local markets in India, showed the presence of microplastics in all samples

UK trade body opens review into 13% import duty on PET plastics from India

The UK's Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) has initiated a transition anti-subsidy review of a countervailing measure on imports of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastics from India, to assess whether the nearly 13 per cent duties should continue to be applied. TRA, an independent arm's length body of the government's Department for Business and Trade, will consider whether the importation of the subsidised goods subject to review would be likely to continue or recur if the countervailing amount were no longer applied to those goods. It will also consider whether injury to the UK industry in the relevant goods would be likely to continue or recur if the countervailing amount were no longer applied to those goods. Countervailing measures are the UK's one of three trade policy tools to counter imports which are "causing or threatening injury" to domestic industry, the other two being anti-dumping and safeguard measures. Countervailing, or counteracting, measures address imported good

Right intentions but Modi 2.0 lacked focus on implementation: Narain

The second Modi government had the right intentions in dealing with environmental degradation and climate change but there wasn't enough focus on implementation, top environmentalist Sunita Narain has said. In an interaction with PTI editors here, Narain said successive administrations have diluted the environmental clearance system to the extent it no longer works. "Overall, my assessment is that the government had the right words and the right intentions. If you look at the government's policies, you can't argue that anything was per se wrong. Renewable energy, drinking water, waste management... all were on the table. So you put the whole package together, it's all there. My assessment is that there wasn't enough focus on implementation," Narain said. In its second term, the Modi government focused on several initiatives, including scaling up renewable energy, improving forest cover, combating desertification, reducing air pollution, conserving wetlands, providing potable piped .

Nestle, Britannia, ITC: Winners, losers from plastic waste management norms

In the KIE consumer staples universe, Dabur reported the highest packaging cost at 12.5 per cent of its standalone revenues in FY23

Understanding the microplastics threat

Demand for piano keys, billiard balls, and combs was going up in Europe even while getting hold of elephant tusks and tortoise shells was becoming more difficult as their population dwindled

Poly crisis: World needs system of public support to end plastic addiction

A report this month alleged that oil and chemicals companies "perpetuated a decades-long campaign of fraud and deception about the recyclability of plastics

Welspun Group to invest Rs 500 cr towards plastics biz in Jammu & Kashmir

The Welspun Group on Friday announced a plan to invest over Rs 500 crore in plastics business in Jammu and Kashmir, a top official said. Speaking to PTI, the group's chairman B K Goenka said it will invest over Rs 40,000 crore for multiple projects including the new bets of green hydrogen and green ammonia. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the investment in J&K was signed in the presence of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on the sidelines of the tenth Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit here. "We've signed an MoU to invest Rs 500 crore plus in our plastic activities, under the brand name of Sintex, whether it is water tanks, pipes and everything else in the next 2-3 years," Goenka said. The investments in Gujarat will be focused on Green Hydrogen, Green Ammonia and expansion of plastic and textile divisions. "It's a new bet on new energy, but I think it's the future. I think there is big potential," he added. When asked if the group will be going for an equity raising given th

Plastics exports decline 15% in July to $956 mn on lower demand: Plexconcil

Plastics exports from the country declined 14.6 per cent to USD 956 million in July mainly due to decreasing demand in key export markets like the US and Europe, apex industry body Plastics Export Promotion Council (Plexconcil) said on Monday. The overall exports during July 2022 stood at USD 1.119 billion, Plexconcil said in a statement. Flexible Intermediate Bulk Containers (FIBC), plastic raw materials, packaging items, plastic films and sheets, and plastic writing instruments and stationery witnessed a major decline in exports. Meanwhile, cumulative plastics exports during the April-July period also dropped 14.9 per cent to USD 3.741 billion as against the year-ago period. "We are happy to see that consumer and houseware products, floor coverings, leather cloth, laminates, medical items of plastic... are doing really well. The Indian plastics industry is undergoing a phenomenal transformation and is experiencing accelerated growth in recent years," Plexconcil Executive Director

Plastic market expected to reach Rs 10 trn by fiscal 2027-28: AIPMA

According to the All India Plastics Manufacturers' Association, the market size of plastics in India was Rs 3.5 lakh crore

ONGC plans oil-to-chemical plants in pivot towards energy transition

India's top oil and gas producer ONGC is planning to set up two oil-to-chemical plants in India to convert crude oil directly into high-value chemical products as it prepares for energy transition that is shaking up the industry worldwide, chairman Arun Kumar Singh said. Crude oil, which companies like ONGC pump out from below seabed and from underground reservoirs, is a primary source of energy. It is processed in oil refineries to produce petrol, diesel and jet fuel. With the world looking to transition away from fossil fuel, companies around the globe are looking at new avenues to use crude oil. Petrochemicals are chemical products derived from crude oil and are used in the manufacturing of detergents, fibres (polyester, nylon, acrylic etc.), polythene and other man-made plastics. "The demand for petrochemicals is expected to remain strong and will continue to be a key driver of oil and gas demand in the future," Singh said in the firm's latest annual report. "With this objective

The snack bag of the future won't be made from single-use plastic

Most bags for potato chips and other crispy snacks are made with three layers of polymer materials. Polymers are made from petroleum, and they'll never decompose

Adani Transmission Ltd certified as single-use plastic-free company

Adani Transmission Ltd has been recognised as a 'single-use plastic-free' company by the Confederation of Indian Industry-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development. The company has been certified for its successful voluntary implementation of single-use plastic-free measures within its 37 operational locations spread across 10 states of the country. This certificate is valid from February 22, 2023 to February 21, 2024, according to a company statement. "Adani Transmission Ltd (ATL) has been recognised as 'Single-use Plastic Free'," it said. A total of 37 ATL operational sites, i.e., 30 substations and 7 transmission line clusters, including stores, have been certified as "Single-use Plastic Free", it added. With this certification in its kitty, ATL has become the first Indian electrical utility to earn "Zero Waste to Landfill certification", "Water Positive certification," and "Single-use Plastic Free Company" added to its laurels, the statement said.

Nearly 74 MT of microplastics rained in New Zealand during 2020: Study

The peer-reviewed study is the first to calculate the total mass of microplastics in a city's air, and it suggests researchers may be dramatically undercounting the global airborne microplastics count

A global plastics treaty is coming; Everything about it yet to be decided

Plastics industry groups have called for a focus on recycling

Cellulose based materials have environmental benefits over polymers: Study

Cellulose and other compounds generated from plants frequently provide good thermal insulation

Scientists develop system to produce biodegradable plastics through CO2

A team of scientists has developed a system that uses carbon dioxide, CO2, to produce biodegradable plastics, or bioplastics, that could replace the nondegradable plastics used today. The research addresses two challengesPublished Sept. 28 in Chem, the research was a collaboration of Susie Dai, Ph.D., associate professor in the Texas A & M Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, and Joshua Yuan, Ph.D., formerly with the Texas A & M Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology as chair for synthetic biology and renewable products and now Lopata professor and chair in the Washington University in St. Louis Department of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering.The research was made possible by the John '90 and Sally '92 Hood Fund for Sustainability and Renewable Products, Texas A & M AgriLife and Texas A & M University.Dai said today's petroleum-based plastics do not degrade easily and create a massive issue in the ecosystems and, ultimately, oceans.To ...

Beverage firms scramble to import paper straws as plastic ban kicks in

However, beverage companies have resorted to different measures to ensure that stocks in the supply chain are not sold with plastic straws

Ban on single use plastic starting July 1 will not be deferred: Minister

Control rooms to be set up for implementation of the ministry order, says Bhupinder Yadav

Manufacturers protest ban on rigid single-use plastics, fear loan default

Industry grouse - 22 products have been banned although they are fully recyclable, while non-recyclable packaging used by FMCG firms have been let off