Published On: 14-Feb-2022
Nonwoven bags are the best alternative to plastic and paper bags.
Simple answer is YES! 100%.
Before we jump into providing the central government notification and other documentary evidence that non woven bags are allowed in India, let's address the underlying question - if non woven is eco-friendly, then why the question of allowed or not allowed?
Non woven fabric is made from a petrochemical polymer called Polypropylene (PP). PP may be classified as a plastic, BUT all plastics are NOT bad. This same non woven fabric is used in many healthcare applications:
- 3 ply masks – non woven saved humanity from the spread of Covid-19
- PPE kits – a blessing for the healthcare workers
- baby diapers
- hospital bed sheets
- waxing strips
- agriculture – banana bunch cover
Since non woven fabric is extensively used in healthcare and agricultural products, it’s a hygienic fabric and is 100% recyclable, which means if properly collected at the source, non woven products can be broken down into pellets and re-made into fabric.
After the plastic ban, the plastic manufacturers’ community started losing business. In the meantime, the non woven fabric was already doing well in the healthcare and agriculture industry. After the plastic ban, non woven started getting acceptance in the packaging industry as well. But plastic manufacturers had a lot to lose due to this. To gain back their lost faith, they started anti-non woven campaigns to mislead the public. This made people start asking questions about whether non woven bags are allowed in India or not.
To put an end to the rumours, on 12th August 2021, the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Government of India issued a notification (CG-DL-E-12082021-228947) which clearly mentions that non woven bags >=60 GSM are allowed to be used all over India. This notification over-rides all previous notifications and gets priority over state government rules.
PDF copy of the notification [CG-DL-E-12082021-228947] can be downloaded from here.
Link to the government website -> https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/specificdocs/documents/2021/aug/doc202181311.pdf
Furthermore, some state government municipalities are issuing challans to shop owners for using non woven bags. These cases have come to light majorly in Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. Legally speaking, they are not allowed to issue challans for using non woven bags. Shop owners can download and print the above notification and show it to the municipality officer to avoid bogus challans.
The non woven carry bag industry is now gaining popularity as Indians better understand the advantages of non woven fabric
The key factors that make nonwoven bags the best alternative to plastic and paper bags are:
- Durability
- 100% recyclable
- Stylish and colourful
- No drain congestion
- Budget-friendly
- Paper catches fire faster than nonwoven
- Fast production
We have covered each of the above topics in a separate article - What is non woven and why you should switch to non woven bags?
We have also compared the following bags and analysed which one is more eco-friendly than the other:
- Non woven bags
- Laminated non woven bags
- Woven PP bags
- Kraft paper bags
- Laminated paper bags
- Polythene (plastic) bags
- Jute bags
- Cotton bags
- Bio-plastic bags
- Oxo-biodegradable bags
The detailed article can be read here - NONWOVEN Bag vs PLASTIC Bag vs PAPER Bag vs JUTE Vs COTTON Bag.
International media has recognized nonwoven bags as a better alternative than paper and plastic bags.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC:
“Nonwoven polypropylene (PP) is another popular option. Made from a more durable kind of plastic, these bags need to be reused around eleven times to break even with the impact of conventional plastic.”
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/sustainable-shoppingwhich-bag-best/
BBC
"The few remaining plastic bags manufacturing companies have diversified their operations to produce fabric-based bags, non-woven bags, pulp paper-based bags amongst others," Kam's communications officer Grace Mbogo told the BBC.”
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-49421885
NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
““Reusable carryout bag” means a carryout bag that: (1) is made of polypropylene, PET nonwoven fabric, nylon, cloth, hemp product, or other machine washable fabric;”
https://www.nj.gov/dep/plastic-ban-law/
MOTHERSHIP - Singapore’s leading youth-focused digital news platform
“However, if used more than 50 times, the reusable polypropylene non-woven plastic bag is still the best and most sustainable option.”
https://mothership.sg/2021/08/cotton-tote-bags-bad-plastic/
Bags Guru abides by the 3 Rs - REDUCE, REUSE, and RECYCLE. Bags Guru offers great many range of non woven bags. Shop here.
This article is written by Bags Guru founder, Ankit Parsurampuria. Ankit is a graduate from IIT Delhi and is working in the packaging industry since 2016.
