How many times a month do you receive packages? In your excitement to check your online shopping order, you tear open (and barely notice) the multiple layers of the shipment in a hurry. But where does the cardboard/bubble wrap/scotch tape and more go? These end up in gutters and garbage dumps, thus, polluting the environment.
In alignment with the ban on single-use plastic, Gaurav Jalan, Founder of Packman Packaging, has made his brand sustainable by using biodegradable bags made from corn. Packman serves top organisations like Amazon, Samsung, Ferns N Petals, Sabyasachi, MTV Roadies, Country Delight and more. Jalan’s idea is to use materials that do the job like plastic, but are eco-friendly. “We did an intensive study and realised that bio-degradable bags are the best solution. So, we make bags out of starch sourced from corn,” says Jalan. Unlike plastic bags, the corn bags dissolve in the soil.
With a resume spanning 30 years of experience and over 300 plus clients across India, Jalan believes that the market is price-sensitive. “Unfortunately, the consumer and the industry want everything cheap and are not considerate about the impact of materials like plastic, unless restrictions are imposed by the government. So much so, that there has been resistance to our eco-friendly alternatives, due to its price.” But the government’s strict monitoring on single-use plastic has seen a noticeable change in attitude. Plus,
the demand for attractive packaging with quality, which Packman Packaging offers is on a rise, says Jalan. “People are investing in attractive packaging. Those who used to invest 2 per cent in packaging have now increased it to 5-6 per cent.”
But nothing comes easy. Here, the challange was the lack of easy availability of raw materials for eco-friendly bags. “Since there wasn’t a high demand for these materials earlier, raw material suppliers are not able to provide these on a large scale as required. Similar to the case of CNG supply.” But Jalan is optimistic and believes that in time this issue will get resolved.
Jalan is also developing compostable bags. “We are parallelly promoting these bags. The challenge here is different, as these bags are not as strong as biodegradable ones. But on the positive side, these bags immediately dissolve when placed in water. So we are trying to use these for lightweight products.”
About the brand
Packman Packaging has been in the indsutry for 30 years with over 300 plus clients across India. The company serves brands like Amazon, Samsung, Ferns N Petals, Sabyasachi, MTV Roadies, Country Delight and more. It engages with the brand early on in the development process to understand their
specific needs.
Compostable packaging bags
Gaurav Jalan is parallelly promoting compostable bags. However, the challenge here, he says, is different as these bags are not as strong as biodegradable ones. “But on the positive side, these bags immediately dissolve when placed in water. So we are trying to use these for lightweight products,”says Jalan.