Page 38 - Plastics News September 2024
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COMPANY NEWS
sidiary of Indian PET recycling pioneer Ganesha packaging, given its continuous recyclability and
Ecosphere Ltd., already produces recycled PET lower carbon footprint compared to other alter-
flakes and pellets for food-grade packaging as natives, while not compromising on production
well as for filament yarns and fibres on two Star- scale, durability, or quality.
linger lines installed in 2022. The new recycling
lines are in operation since mid-2024 and triple Focusing on sustainable production, Ganesha
Ganesha Ecopet’s annual production of bottle- Ecopet also minimized the process-related car-
grade rPET, raising it from 14,000 tons to a total bon emissions by recycling and reusing 95% of
of 42,000 tons. the consumed water as well as increasing the
use of renewables in plant operations. With a to-
EPR and consumers drive demand for sustain- tal production capacity of 42,000 tons of food-
able products grade recycled post-consumer PET per year,
the PET recycling company caters to Indian, US,
The increasing demand for food-safe recycled and European markets.
PET in India has two main reasons. On the one
hand, the Indian government has introduced Incentives for improving the Indian waste man-
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for im- agement sector
porters, brand owners and plastic waste proces-
sors as part of its Plastic Waste Management Ganesha Ecopet sources post-consumer PET
(Amendment) Rules in 2022 to ensure system- bottles from every possible channel: online, of-
atic collection of plastic waste. In addition, the fline, and through more than 300 suppliers and
rules stipulate that brand owners and producers aggregators across India. The Indian government
must include a 30% share of post-consumer re- has set a focus on improving the waste manage-
cycled content in PET bottles by 2025, with the ment sector. Due to the size and efficiency of
share being gradually increased each year to the already existing informal waste collection
reach 60% by 2029. network, through which around 95% of PET
waste —one of the highest rates worldwide— in
On the other hand, consumer preferences in In- India is collected and recycled, the main goal is
dia are changing, with sustainability being one to optimize the current systems. There are vari-
of the top five factors for purchasing a product. ous start-ups that are tackling multiple aspects,
Especially the large number of young consum- from piloting deposit return/refund schemes to
ers —i.e. millennials and generation Z— are in- online scrap marketplaces. The government also
creasingly demanding products and packaging plays an important role by setting incentives for
that do not harm our planet. Brands respond to better Environmental, Social and Governance
that by creating supply chains and packaging (ESG) practices and taxing unsustainable prac-
that are circular and sustainable. Recycled PET tices.
is one of the most convincing options for plastic
Source – Recycling Magazine
38 40 PLASTICS NEWSASTICS NEWS September 2024
PL
September 2024
