Are 100% Biodegradable Containers the Future of Packaging in India?

In recent years there has been a lot of talk about the future of packaging and how businesses need to move towards environmentally supportive packaging alternatives.

In this context, recent news coverage has created a lot of buzz around what it could mean to have a packaging alternative that is safe even for cattle to eat!

According to a feature on BetterIndia.com, a Coimbatore-based entrepreneur, Kalyana Kumar has innovated machinery that can create 100% biodegradable, single-use cutlery and containers using items like banana leaves, wheat &rice bran, millet and vegetable waste, palm tree, and tapioca cassava fiber, and more.

As you can guess, these eco-friendly containers, such as spoons, teacups, glasses, plates, regular and air-tight flasks, etc., are made from natural waste materials and completely safe, even if cattle eat them. Considering the widespread concerns about animals feeding on plastic and plastic waste, this initiative on the part of Kumar is a huge initiative towards promoting sustainability.

In an interview with Better India, Kumar said, “PaakuMattai (areca leaf plates) is a widely used alternative to paper plates. It was one of the few available options of organic raw material that requires less processing. but I found that manufacturers depended on Karnataka for its availability. But since the leaves are only available for six months a year, they faced huge losses in the remaining time. That’s what inspired me to use different raw materials that would be available throughout the year.”

A college dropout, Kalyana’s innovative idea and novel step is beneficial not just for the environment but in other ways too. The 100% biodegradable cutlery and containers can be reused as well as turned into cattle feed! As of now, more research is going into how the raw materials can be used even better at Kalyana’s research lab.

In his talk with Better India, Kumar also added, “During my childhood, we mostly used steel containers for all purposes. Plastic and paper alternatives came in later, but while they were more comfortable to use, they caused serious environmental issues. Shifting to sustainable products is the need of the hour and I hope more companies and groups take up this alternative. Our company is a humble attempt to aid this process.”

Reference:

https://www.thebetterindia.com/273423/biodegradable-cutlery-machines-from-natural-waste-coimbatore-entrepreneur

CLOSING THOUGHTS

There is no doubt that the Indian packaging industry can largely benefit from using biodegradable products actively and more entrepreneurs like Kalyana Kumar are the need of the hour.

Would you like an expert opinion on what kind of packaging materials are best for your products and brand? Feel free to book a discovery call with me at www.chetan-jain.com