The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) organized a sectoral conference on ‘Printing and Packaging: The India Growth Story in Manufacturing’ during its Manufacturing Conclave on 7 August 2024, in New Delhi. The event discussed topics such as premiumization and reusability of packaging, growth of eCommerce, and shaping the future of the Indian packaging and printing industry through sustainable initiatives and collaborations.
The sectoral discussion was part of the multi-sectoral national conference on manufacturing on 7 August. Eight key sectors — established, critical, and emerging — were identified to be represented, highlighted, and showcased in the conference, as all play a crucial role in the Indian growth story of manufacturing. The objective was to address the opportunities and challenges faced by the sector in the present VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity) world.
Chaired by S N Venkataraman, SBU chief, printing and packaging Business, ITC, the conference brought together industry leaders to discuss the printing and packaging industry’s role in the nation’s economy and society’s progress, as well as topics such as productivity, and supply chain resilience. One of the critical sectors identified for the conference was the Indian printing and packaging industry, given the sector’s importance to Indian manufacturing by contributing to seamless production processes and exportability.
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The printing and packaging sector in India is a crucial segment of the country’s manufacturing industry. It serves a broad array of end-user markets, including food and beverages, pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, and electronics. This sector is witnessing rapid growth due to rising consumer demand, increased urbanization, and technological advancements. The conference focussed on recyclable packaging, particularly on flexible packaging, with an emphasis on the increasing necessity of paperization.
Packaging South Asia editor Naresh Khanna moderated a session on ‘Sustainable Packaging and Printing – Emphasis on Recyclability and Waste Reduction’. Prashant Atre, managing director of Toyo Ink, Artience India, Nilesh Pinto, zone business director of Bobst, Ruturaj Kamthekar of Huhtamaki, and Ankit Singhai of Nestle India were among the panelists.
Singhai spoke on Nestle’s focus on reducing GHG emissions from the entire value chain. He said, “Packaging contributes around 8% of our total emissions. We have a spelled-out rule on plastic reduction from our 2018 baselines. Nearly 2500 metric tons of plastic has already been reduced in the last five years. Still, it is an uphill and daunting task for us to achieve.
At Nestle, we design packaging adhering to recycling norms, but every transition comes at a cost. The majority of the cost is absorbed by us rather than being passed on to consumers. However, there needs to be a better middle point where the industry comes together collectively to find answers.”
Kamthekar discussed the benefits of using mono-material laminates in packaging. He said the industry is moving away from multi-material, non-recyclable packaging toward mono-material solutions. These mono-material laminates are easier to recycle, whether through mechanical or chemical processes, which is an essential aspect of sustainability. He said, “Transitioning to new materials presents challenges, such as the need for minimal modifications to existing packaging lines, collaboration between packaging companies and brands, and the importance of designing materials that are easily recyclable are all parts of the process.”
The challenges faced by the printing and packaging industry mirror the manufacturing sector as a whole. Issues such as quality, knowledge and capacity development, skill, innovation, value addition, production costs, environment, and recycling are common puzzles that need solving across all industrial sectors. The speakers at different sessions highlighted Asia’s role in the global printing and packaging market and India’s ascending position.
Trends such as the consumption of more packaged foods, bigger pack sizes, less packaging per product, brand owners’ commitment to meet the targets set for GHG emissions, recyclable contents in packaging, and mono-material challenges were touched upon. An imminent trend that converters and printers need to address is the supply of mono-material packaging cost-effectively.
