Makers of paper and cloth bags up production as demand rises

MUMBAI: Manufacturers of paper bags and cloth bags are briskly doubling their production capacity to fill in the gap caused by the state government’s ban on plastic bags.
On March 23, the state government issued a notification banning plastic carry bags, plastic cups, plates, spoons and flex in Maharashtra. The ban excludes garbage bin liners and PET bottles.

One of the biggest manufacturers of plastic, cloth and paper carry bags in Mumbai, Nimit Parekh, is doubling his capacity for cloth bags from 50 machines to 100. These are manufactured from thin or thick cotton as well as canvas. Yet, he says there is “no real alternative to plastic”.

“A plastic bag is available for Rs 5, whereas a cloth bag of the same size costs Rs 25. The most basic cloth bag comes for an average Rs 14. The largest size is Rs 75. The ones we are now supplying to Big Bazaar costs Rs 18. Retailers will naturally recover this overhead from shoppers,” says Parekh. His firm supplies to Reliance, Big Bazaar, Shoppers’ Stop and other corporates. “Have you ever seen their plastic bags on the road? The issue has to be understood. Most plastic is recyclable.”

Interestingly, Parekh earns maximum profit on cloth bags, and the least on plastic. “So, the ban will benefit me. But I am looking at the larger picture. Three to four lakh workers in the plastic bag industry will lose their jobs in the next two months. They cannot be employed to stitch cloth bags; that calls for tailoring skills.”

Shital Belose of Wrappers India, which manufactures paper bags, says these come in various sizes of thickness and can comfortably be used as shopping bags. “They are also customised for specific requirements. The average cost is Rs 4 per bag,” she adds.

Shopkeepers, meanwhile, are seeking out manufacturers who can supply large quantities of paper bags as early as possible. Janmesh Thaker of Navbharat paper bags says, “We are making changes in our production line to increase capacity. Medical stores had switched to paper bags months ago. As for grocers, until last week, when the ban was actually passed in the state, only a few traders were making casual inquiries. Now, the demand has increased.”