International Summit for Packaging Industry 2017

Research Conclave and the recycling of mixed plastics

December 2, 2017

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The Indian Institute of Packaging organized a 2-day International Summit for Packaging Industry (ISPI) in New Delhi on the 27 and 28 of November 2017. Based around the theme ‘Packaging – The Growth Driver,’ this was the 7th edition of ISPI.

For the first time, ISPI featured a parallel session called ‘Research Conclave,’ which focused entirely on research and development projects on packaging at various research institutions. The Research Conclave was kicked off with an inaugural session that featured Dr Indranil Manna, director of IIT Kanpur, as chief guest. In his address, Dr Manna reiterated the importance of innovation in driving the packaging industry. He particularly emphasized the need to structure research in line with on-the-ground requirements and the need to convert research into commercially feasible applications. Several papers were presented over the two days, including actual research case-studies on various aspects of packaging.

A special feature of the ISPI was a keynote presentation by Ashok Chaturvedi, chairman and managing director of Uflex, India’s leading flexible packaging company that is also the world’s only fully vertically integrated organization in this business. He praised the Indian flexible packaging industry for its robust capabilities, impressive track record over the last three decades, and proficiency in even hi-tech areas that has ensured a global leadership position. He particularly pointed out that whereas Chinese products have made a significant impact worldwide, they have not been able to make even the slightest dent on the Indian flexible films and packaging market.

An important claim made by Chaturvedi was that his company has been able to successfully recover and recycle mixed industrial and even post-consumer polymer waste into new applications; he did not mention whether these were high-quality applications that represented upcycling or even re-use in technologically equivalent end-uses. At the same time, he suggested that if the government is able to collect plastic waste, his company was ready to contribute to the recycling process by setting up plants similar to those already functioning inside eight Uflex locations.

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