Bin the bags

“My mother-in-law still carries her old plastic ‘tokri’ to Bohri Bazaar when she goes to get groceries,” says Ambreen as she sits with her friends in a local coffee shop.

“And I remember carrying our ‘kapray ka thela’ along with my mother when we went for our morning shopping,” chimes in Aashi. “Amma never liked to carry the old tokri so she used to wrap it in cloth and hand it to me to carry!”

“Don’t forget the straw basket that used to be lowered from flats so the sabzi-waala could fill it up with veggies,” adds Mishal, while sipping on a steaming hot espresso in a disposable plastic cup.

This is a conversation between a group of young mothers who had gotten together for coffee after a school presentation on reducing the use of polythene bags and adopting alternatives.

Getting rid of these bags now seems like a great idea, but at the same time it also seems almost impossible to achieve. After all, NGOs and related agencies have been screaming themselves hoarse on this issue since the early ‘90s with scant success. It seems the ‘throwaway culture’ is too deeply ingrained to be changed, and the relevant ministries don’t seem too interested.

“There are varied reasons for the inaction,” says Tahir Qureshi of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. “Firstly, some of the groups raising their voices for this are simply out to attract donors.  Secondly, there is no alternative livelihood for the approximately one million labourers across the country involved in the production of plastic bags, and lastly, ministers get changed around a lot and [this] seems to be the least important issue for the government. It was only the late Omer Asghar Khan who took the initiative and put a complete ban on black polythene bags”.

But nature, as always, abhors a vacuum and increasingly the private sector has stepped in where the government fears to tread. And it turns out there are in fact alternatives to the ubiquitous polythene bag. “We phased out the use of polythene bags in and introduced environment friendly bags in 2011 by launching our non woven fabric bags, and then in 2012 we started using bio degradable bags,” says Nazia Khan, former advertising manager of Hyperstar.

The fabric and biodegradable bags are now available at both of Hyperstar’s branches in Pakistan but it seems that being environment-friendly does come at a cost. Hyperstar charges Rs89 for non-woven fabric bags and Rs15 for biodegradable bags.

“Hyperstar is not making any profit out of this and this is just to cover the cost of the bag” says Nazia. The fabric bags are much stronger and we replace them for free if they become damaged. The bio degradable bags, while reusable, are not replaceable.”

Hyperstar did not make the switch all of a sudden. Six months prior to introducing the new bags, it started an awareness campaign and then made the change in a phased manner, from department to department. Still, there were many customers who weren’t happy with this arrangement and demanded that these bags be distributed for free. “It is the responsibility of every individual and we are doing our part in saving the environment. They [the customers] are bound to buy these bags when they are living abroad because this is a global standard, but here they are reluctant to do so. I guess customers need to change their approaches too,” says Nazia. While she no longer works at Hyperstar, the initiative she launched is thankfully still going strong.

In fact, other companies such as Dawn Bread, ICI, KFC and MENU chicken have also voluntarily adopted oxo-degradable packaging. So what exactly is an oxo-degradable bag?  “It’s not really rocket science, it just involves an additive that breaks down the molecular structure of polymer,” says Asif Shuja, Director General of Pakistan’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The additive that makes bags oxo-degradable is known as olefin. Over time, it converts plastic into carbon dioxide, humus, water and trace elements. How long these bags would take to degrade depends on how they’ve been ‘programmed’ during the manufacturing process. This can range from a few months to a couple of years, as opposed to conventional polythene bags which can take hundreds of years to degrade. Their durability however depends on the thickness which, according to Shuja, should be no less than 15 microns. This, he says, can only be ensured through strict legislation and monitoring.

Shuja is determined to replace polythene bags with oxo-biodegradable bags. He intends to request the government to remove the customs duty levied on olefin, which is currently charged at 6%, so as to off-set the rise in the cost of bags. Currently, polythene bags sell for Rs85 to Rs87 per kilogram (kg) while the oxo-biodegradable bags cost around Rs92 to Rs100 per kg.

According to the EPA, 8021 units across the country are currently producing polythene bags, and production is increasing at an average 15% per annum. The average consumption of these bags in Pakistan is 350 bags/head per annum which means that we’re literally drowning in polythene bags. For Shuja and those who also believe in the promotion of biodegradable bags, this has to change immediately.

Luckily, some tentative first steps have already been taken in this direction. From April 1, the sale, purchase and use of polythene plastic bags will be completely banned in the Islamabad Capital Territory. A campaign will also be launched to create awareness among both shopkeepers and customers so as to get them to make the switch.

Luckily, Shuja doesn’t expect any issues from the manufacturers as no modification is needed in the existing machinery, and making the switch won’t cost money or jobs. Anwer Naeem, the sales and marketing executive at Ejaz Packages agrees. His company is involved in importing the additive, olefin, from Saudi Arabia and he feels the switch can be made without much pain. “These bags have the potential to penetrate the huge polythene bags market, but seminars and exhibitions need to be arranged so as to raise awareness and overcome objections,” he says.

But there remains one problem: how to determine if the bags are in fact degradable or are simply being labelled as such by unscrupulous marketers.  To that end, some additive suppliers are also advertising detectors to check the authenticity of the bags. Once again, the effectiveness of this will depend on how tightly manufacturers are monitored. This will become trickier as more additives, such as anti-fungal and anti-microbial ones, are added to food packaging.

Paper bags are another option being used by some brands, like the textile house Khaadi, which says it’s a matter of brand image for them.  “We feel paper bags are crucial for our company’s branding,” says Khaadi spokesperson Uzma Malla. “We make crisp solid bags, to let our customers know that we are committed to a quality shopping experience. The professional look of our paper shopping bags portrays the image of our business and enhances our brand awareness,” says Malla.

Paper bags cost more than bio-degradable bags and non-woven fabric bags but are still better than polythene or any other plastic carriers. “Paper bags decompose naturally and have no effect on environment during the process of decomposition or while they are produced,” adds Malla.

Still, given that paper bags are not really reusable, and even ones made from recycled paper do involve, at some stage, the cutting of trees, they are clearly never going to be a strong alternative to plastic bags.

Some companies, like Hyperstar, are also using non-woven fabric bags. You can see this trend with a lot of shoe manufacturers but here the basic idea is to safeguard delicate and expensive ladies shoes, with the green aspect being a side-effect at best. Non-woven fabric bags are also good as ‘green’ shopping souvenirs, as they too are biodegradable. But these are also mixed with polypropylene and other plastic additives. While their impact on the environment is not as great as that of polythene bags, there are still dangerous. “They leave behind granules after decomposition, which may be consumed by micro-organisms” says Shahida Kauser Farooqi, Chairperson of Subhe Nau, a charity that is involved with environmental issues.

Thus far, it seems that only a tiny proportion of the affluent classes have adopted alternatives to polythene bags, but for there to be any real impact this trend has to trickle down to all layers of society. For most Pakistanis, the issue is one of cost and convenience. By and large, people aren’t prepared to pay a single paisa more for an environment-friendly alternative when they can get the ubiquitous ‘shopper’ for free. “To reverse this trend a price has to be paid,” says Dr Qureshi. But expecting people to voluntarily stop using polythene bags simply won’t work and ultimately only a strictly imposed ban can force the switch.

Bans are often considered a massive governmental invasion into private business. They are only warranted when a product is causing significant economic and environmental damage on a massive scale—and must be replaced with something safe. In the case of polythene bags, a ban is justified. With plastic bags, one is dealing with a product that has an inherent design flaw. The bags are lightweight, aerodynamic, practically indestructible and made specifically to be discarded.

Polythene bags end up as litter that fouls the landscape, and kill thousands of marine mammals every year that mistake the floating bags for food. Plastic bags that get buried in landfills may take up to 1,000 years to break down, and in the process they separate into smaller and smaller toxic particles that contaminate soil and water. More often, they are burned along with heaps of trash, sending carcinogenic materials into the atmosphere. They choke drainage system and can cause floods during the rainy season. Furthermore, the production of plastic bags consumes millions of gallons of oil that could be used for fuel and heating.

“Only a rotational move can work” say Dr Qureshi. “The labour involved in the production of polythene bags can easily be transferred to the production of bio-degradable bags, but the issue is raising awareness and taking drastic measures to make sure that this transformation takes place at every unit”. Without legislation and strict enforcement, no such endeavour can succeed. Almost six years ago, when Karachi’s mayor Mustafa Kamal tried to ban polythene bags, he failed. The plants that are producing polythene bags could not be stopped and the import of the granules could not be halted without specific legislation. Once that is in place, the issue of cost can also be resolved.

“If the production of alternative bags increases, the price will come down automatically and they may even become cheap enough for shops to hand out free of charge,” says Dr Qureshi.

In addition to this, new opportunities will begin to emerge for entrepreneurs. If supported by the government, companies that manufacture reusable bags will continue to grow and diversify their product lines. Eventually, this will create more green jobs while also saving the environment.

The latest alternatives

Hydro degradable:

Made up of starch; it is bio-degradable and dissolves in water.


Oxo-biodegradable:

Reacts to oxygen in the atmosphere or water, which weakens its molecular structure. The bag is then degraded by micro-organisms present in air or water.

Photo-degradable:

When exposed to the ultra violet rays of the sun, the polymer chain gets weakened and breaks into pieces.

SWOT

The breakdown on oxo-degradable bags

Strengths

Durable and reusable Degradable in oxygen under sunlight without emitting methane Can degrade in months Good carriers for food and farm contents Controlled price Plastic is recyclable

Weaknesses

6% customs duty on olefin 8 to 10% more expensive than polythene bags Lack of awareness Penetration needs time Easy availability of polythene bags Not a full non plastic product

Opportunities

Can replace trillions of polythene bags Keeps the environment clean and safe Opens doors to new investment Diversified product line

Great marketing tool/souvenirs Creates more green jobs

Threats

Other cheaper alternatives Difficulty in purchasing the additive

Dollar/rupee parity may widen Lack of government legislations

Mafia acting in favour of polythene bags NGOs want a complete ban on plastics.

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, February 24^th, 2013.

Like Express Tribune Magazine on Facebook to stay informed and join the conversation.