Good morning [%first_name |Dear Reader%],

The most visible phase of India’s plastics ban is kicking in from today, 1 July.

Plastic straws, cups, glasses, flags, balloons, earbuds, and sundry such items will become history. Not because consumers suddenly became plastic-phobic at the turn of midnight on 30 June, but because sellers and suppliers of such products will now be penalised by regulators.

Nearly 150 years after the first man-made plastic celluloid was invented, a global effort is being mounted to wean us from this now ubiquitous material. Plant cellulose served as the base material for early plastics, but this has changed over time. The foundations of modern-day plastics are rooted in hydrocarbons, and the oil and natural gas industry that produces them.

Life has come full circle. If the arrival of synthetic plastics freed us from nature and its associated supply constraints, today we are turning back to nature for clean alternatives. 

So India is banning single-use plastics. 

Let’s be clear, this will upset many plastics carts for many industries and sections of society. If you recall, in March, I had written about Reliance Industries’ US$6-billion single-use plastics business and the risks it faces from just such bans.