Alternative Packaging Material: India’s Green Packaging Shift
- Krishiv Jain
- Jul 14
- 4 min read
Here’s what I want you to imagine: You’re unboxing your new phone, or grabbing a pizza delivered on your doorstep. The excitement and pleasure lasts minutes…but the plastic packaging sticks around for hundreds of years.
Why Plastic Packaging Is a Growing Concern in Indiac
In India, plastic is everywhere, especially in our packaging. It keeps our food fresh, our couriers safe, and our gadgets scratch-free. But here’s the catch: 56% of all plastic in India is used just for packaging, and 95% of it gets thrown away almost immediately. That’s a mountain of waste polluting landfills, rivers, and oceans around us.
What Is Alternative Packaging Material and Why It Matters
But what if your next delivery came in an alternative packaging material? Something compostable, recyclable or maybe even edible! The good news is that there are Indian innovators working on interesting alternative packaging materials, and it is slowly changing the game for the good.
8 Alternative Packaging Materials You Should Know About
Across the world, and increasingly in India, these innovative materials are replacing traditional plastic in food delivery, e-commerce, retail, and more:
1. Bagasse (Sugarcane Waste)Â A by-product of sugarcane processing, bagasse is lightweight, biodegradable, and often used to make food containers, trays, and boxes.
2. Cornstarch-Based Bioplastics Made from fermented plant starch (usually corn), these bioplastics are compostable and suitable for items like cutlery, packaging film, and containers.
3. Mycelium (Mushroom Roots) This fast-growing fungus forms a foam-like material when grown in molds. It’s being used to make sturdy, compostable packaging for electronics and glass items.
4. Seaweed-Based Packaging Seaweed offers a marine-safe, biodegradable option that’s being used for sachets, wrappers, and even water pods. It's edible and dissolves naturally.
5. Recycled Paper and Cardboard Old-school but reliable, recycled paper-based materials are regaining popularity for boxes, fillers, and wraps, especially when responsibly sourced and printed with eco-inks.
6. Wheat Bran and Rice Husk Products As seen in Thooshan's work, agricultural by-products like wheat bran and rice husk are molded into sturdy plates and containers, and are compostable or even edible.
7. PLA (Polylactic Acid)Â PLA is a bioplastic derived from corn, sugarcane, or cassava. It looks and feels like plastic but is compostable under industrial conditions, often used for film wraps and disposable containers.
8. Hemp-Based Packaging Hemp fibers are durable and biodegradable. They’re being turned into molded packaging, cloth bags, and even insulation materials, combining sustainability with strength.
Circular Economy: The Foundation of Sustainable Packaging in India
Across India, passionate entrepreneurs are proving that plastic isn’t the only way to pack things. Instead, they’re using bio-based materials to create a circular economy. What’s a circular economy? Think of it as an approach which heavily emphasises reusing, repairing, or recycling resources, aiming to keep them in use for as long as possible, instead of just being thrown away after one use. Driven by this approach and using alternative packaging materials, some companies are working to ensure that waste is transformed, not trashed.
Indian Startups Championing Alternative Packaging Materials
Thooshan: Edible and Compostable Tableware
Have you ever thought of plates which you can eat?! Thooshan, a brand from Coimbatore in South India, specializes in crop-based crockery, making edible wheat bran, and compostable rice husk plates which are safe to munch on (or compost) after use.
Ukhi: Biopolymers Made from Crop Waste
Crop waste is one of the leading causes of air pollution in India. That’s why Ukhi, a company based out of Delhi NCR, is working towards transforming agricultural leftovers like crop residue, pine needles, hemp etc. into EcoGran, a compostable biopolymer they developed! This plant-based material replaces traditional single-use plastics in all kinds of flexible packaging, demonstrating a great example of how the stuff farmers normally burn can actually become a valuable resource.
Barriers to Adoption of Alternative Packaging Materials in India
But the story doesn’t end there. These are encouraging initiatives, but scaling them up can be challenging.
Cost: Alternative packaging materials like bio-based packaging can cost up to 3–5 times more than traditional plastics.
Awareness: Many Indians aren’t familiar with these solutions, even though global markets are already demanding them.
Infrastructure:Â Currently, India lacks sufficient composting facilities and waste-sorting systems to handle these new materials.
How Indian Policy Is Supporting Sustainable Packaging Innovation
However, government policies are starting to work towards positive, sustainable change. For instance, the Single Use Plastic Bill of 2024 sets clear deadlines for plastic use, including a complete elimination of plastic waste by 2050, and a complete ban on Single Use Plastics after 2025. This will, effectively, require companies to use recyclable and sustainable alternative materials to package their products.
How You Can Support the Alternative Packaging Movement
Yes, it may seem like plastic pollution is everywhere…and that we can’t do much about it. But that’s not true. Change is already underway, and we can be a part of it.
The next time you order something online or go shopping in the mall, look for brands using sustainable packaging. In fact, you can even take your own bag instead of using one provided by the store. Encourage your friends and family to do the same.
Just remember: every choice and every action, no matter how little, adds up.