

Tetra paks containing plastic straws cannot be stocked as of July 1, thus retailers are instructing beverage manufacturers to stop providing them. The ban on single-use plastic is scheduled to go into effect in India at that time.
Paper straws are in short supply
The change occurs while the government is being petitioned by the domestic beverage industry, which is led by Amul and Parle Agro, to postpone the ban. Their reason: paper straws are in short supply and imports are not sustainable due to the high cost involved. Several beverage manufacturers said that merchants had advised them not to include plastic straws in their pack contents. However, they said, they already have a large amount of inventory that was made with those.
“Ban on plastic straws on tetra paks will have a big impact on small businesses, as they largely depend on Indian suppliers,” said Akhil Gupta, MD at Fresca Juices. “Paper draws have to be imported as their manufacturing here is almost nil at present”.
Proposal to outlaw single-use plastics
The government’s proposal to outlaw single-use plastics including straws, cutlery, earbuds, and candy sticks, however, has been met with opposition from retailers, who claim they are implementing methods to comply.
German wholesaler Metro Cash & Carry’s FMCG team, for instance, has communicated to the company’s suppliers that they need to be complaint with the ban. Similarly, Spencer’s Retail said the retail chain will follow the guidelines laid down by the government on single use plastic. Online grocery retailer Zepto, too will evaluate packs to remove those that comes with straws.
Amul, which needs 12 lakh plastic straws every day for its Rs 10 on the go packs, has even proposed setting up its own plants to for paper straws.