Indore, September 24: The namkeen and the plastic manufacturing units fear heavy losses owing to the single-use plastic ban from October 2. According to an Economic Times report, the Indore Namkeen Mithai Association and MP Thermoforming Products Association have raised concerns over the rising stocks of single-use plastic and demanded tax benefits for clearing off GST paid stocks.

Indore is a hub for namkeen or savoury manufacturers, the city alone has a business of Rs 5,000 crore. The association has claimed that most outlets have huge pile of single-use plastic utensils and clearing off these stocks before October 2 will incur heavy losses as all these materials are GST paid. Amazon And Flipkart Set Deadlines to Stop Use of Single-Use Plastics in Packaging.

Players in this category are saying that they are ready to stop using plastic items, but they need time, better alternatives and tax benefits for disposing of the tax paid materials. It is thus expected that until a better solution is found out, the namkeen business will see a dip in sales.

Every other industry is also working towards reducing the use of single-use plastics and gradually ban the complete use. The e-commerce giants Amazon India and Flipkart have set targets to stop the complete use of single-use plastics in packaging. Amazon recently announced that it would stop using single-use plastic in its packaging operations by 2020. The company further informed that they have plans of introducing paper cushions in place of protective plastic wrapping and bubble wraps to look into the safety of the product.

As per the new law, manufacturers, suppliers, and sellers of plastic (and plastic products) across the country will now be required to phase out plastic made products within a span of two years. In order to spread the message in an innovative way, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan also launched an anthem as a part of a campaign to make India plastic-free by 2022.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 24, 2019 11:35 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).