Firms Seek Relaxation In Maharashtra Plastic Ban, Ask For More Time Amid Concerns That Alternatives Could Have Adverse Environmental Impact

Major multinational players including Amazon, Pepsi and Coca Cola are lobbying for the Devendra Fadnavis-led Government of Maharashtra to provide relief on the recently imposed ban on single-use plastic across the state, reports Mint. The ban is major action by any Indian state as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s plan to completely eliminate the use of single-use plastic across India by 2022.

Data from the United Nations says that plastic accounts for nearly half of global waste with most of it is discarded minutes after its first use. Representatives of the firms met with government officials prior to the ban coming into effect on 23 June, asking for it to be implemented in phases and ease some of the stringent norms.

Representatives of the Plastic Bags Manufacturers Association of India said that the disuse of plastic could not happen overnight and demanded seven years for the industry to come up with alternatives.

The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) had written a letter to the government on 7 June in connection to the ban. The letter stated that the ban would not go without adverse environmental impact largely due to the alternatives being used. Beverage manufacturers including Pepsi and Coca Cola want relaxation of the mandatory buy-back of bottles at a guaranteed price, claiming that it would increase costs.