Sustainability for MSMEs: Traders’ physique Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) on Sunday urged the federal government for a ‘phase-wise’ method to banning single-use plastics within the nation as a substitute of a blanket ban, which got here into impact on July 1, on manufacturing, import, stocking, distribution, sale, and use of single-use plastic objects. In a letter to Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav on Sunday, CAIT sought one-year time for merchants to regularly swap to ‘equitable alternatives’.
“We humbly request you to please direct the concerned departments not to take coercive action against any trader or unit for at least the first year (of the ban),” the letter famous. A joint committee of senior authorities officers and different stakeholders must be arrange with a time-bound mandate of suggesting and creating equitable alternate options to single-use plastic in order that the nation stops utilizing it with none disruption, CAIT stated.
Importantly, forward of the ban, the federal government earlier this week had famous that the capacity-building workshops are being organized for MSMEs to offer them technical help for manufacturing alternate options to banned single-use plastic objects with the involvement of CPCB/SPCBs/PCCs together with the Ministry of MSME, Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering (CIPET), and their state centres. Provisions have additionally been made to assist such enterprises in transitioning away from banned single-use plastics, Environment ministry stated in an announcement on June 28.
The mass utilization of single-use plastic has been for packaging or dealing with of products due to its negligible value and ease of use. The confederation stated the equitable alternate options are both not obtainable or fairly pricey compared to single-use plastic and a right away ban could cripple a number of financial actions associated to totally different sectors equivalent to meals dealing with, healthcare, transportation, constructing development, packaging, and extra.
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The listing of banned objects by the federal government included plastic carry baggage, earbuds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, sweet sticks, ice-cream sticks, polystyrene (thermocol) for adornment, plastic plates, cups, glasses, cutlery equivalent to forks, spoons, knives, straw, trays, wrapping or packing movies round candy containers, invitation playing cards, cigarette packets, plastic or PVC banners lower than 100 micron, stirrers.
According to CAIT, the single-use plastic trade has an annual turnover of greater than Rs 60,000 crore and employs lakhs of individuals. The current alternate options to banned single-use plastics available in the market are paper or stainless-steel straws, bamboo stirrers, reusable cups and glasses, bamboo utensils, bamboo cotton buds, jute or material baggage, and extra.
Source: www.financialexpress.com”