KOCHI: Even as efforts are made at various levels to curb the use of plastic, certain government policies are indirectly promoting plastic consumption.
“The rising price of craft paper, the main raw material used in the production of corrugated box, has put the manufacturers in a deep crisis,” said office-bearers of the Kerala Corrugated Box Manufacturers’ Association.
The situation has forced companies to use plastic, which will have an immediate impact on environment.
“Carton manufacturing companies are struggling for survival, after paper mills increased the price of craft paper by 30-40 per cent. The resultant increase in production cost has forced us to raise the price of boxes.
Following the price hike, several companies have stopped using corrugated boxes for packing their products, and are instead using plastic bags.
The best example is the packaging of drinking water and soft drinks. Now, they are mostly packed in plastic sheets, instead of cartons,” association president Xavier Jose told reporters here on Tuesday.
“Corrugated boxes play an indirect role in environmental conservation as they are fully recycled. There are 12,000 corrugated box manufacturing units in India,” he said, and urged the government to set a craft paper making facility in the public sector.