Making NE a hub of bamboo packaging

Consumers’ behavioural practices pose a significant obstacle to curbing the use of Single Use Plastic (SUP) in India. The pragmatic solution lies in making the alternate biodegradable packaging material widely available to replace SUPs. Circularity of certain plastic packaging material can be a viable alternative, but as waste collection systems are inefficient, a significant volume of plastic packaging material finds its way into municipality drains, wetlands, rivers and farm fields and increases plastic pollution. The production of alternative biodegradable packaging material from bamboo is gaining momentum on an industrial scale in the country, which is an encouraging development. The northeast region having an abundance of natural bamboo, industrial-scale investment can unlock its potential of becoming the country’s hub of bamboo packaging material manufacturing. The availability of abundant raw materials and the subsidies provided under the Uttar Poorva Transformative Industrialisation Scheme, 2024, make establishing bamboo packaging material manufacturing a commercially viable investment. Ironically, while such bamboo packaging material manufacturing units have come up at places like Bengaluru, the rich bamboo resources of the region have failed to trigger ideas of such industrial ventures. Use of bamboo in traditional packaging practices, such as bamboo baskets to carry fruits and vegetables to the markets, which are still in vogue in many places, particularly in rural areas, can make adoption of alternate bamboo packaging material to replace plastic packaging material a natural choice for indigenous communities of the region. Such an endeavour requires bamboo entrepreneurs to look beyond traditional bamboo craft and explore emerging sectors such as food aggregating, quick commerce, and e-commerce, in which packaging plays the most critical role in enhancing consumer satisfaction in the quality of doorstep deliveries. The commissioning of bamboo-based ethanol production at the biorefinery in Numaligarh has unlocked new opportunities for bamboo growers in Assam and neighbouring states. Diversifying industrial use of bamboo can increase the price bargaining capacity of traditional bamboo growers, as they can explore supplying raw bamboo to industries which offer them the maximum payment. Along with the rest of India, the region is also witnessing momentum in growth in the gig economy and platform-based digital marketplace of consumer goods, which has led to a surge in demand for biodegradable  packaging materials.  The Northeast  Bamboo  Conclave 2025, held in  Guwahati last year, witnessed policymakers, industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators from across India and abroad discussing various scopes and opportunities in the bamboo sector of the region and provided a stepping stone for diversifying industrial-scale utilisation of natural bamboo found in the region. Apart from packaging material, bamboo consumerware that includes tableware products like cutlery, plates, bowls, etc., gaining popularity has also created new opportunities for diversification of bamboo-based industrial ventures. Worldwide, bamboo packaging products are fast replacing the plastic packaging materials, and global industry projections indicate that the bamboo packaging market is poised for steady growth. This trend speaks volumes about the commercial sustainability of such industries in the region and also tapping export opportunities. The upfront cost of bamboo packaging industries is higher than plastic packaging industries, but operational cost reduces when it runs on scale. Besides, the environmental cost due to plastic pollution is much higher, and this can be significantly reduced by replacing plastic packaging with bamboo packaging. For an ecologically fragile region like the northeast, eco-friendly packaging to cater to the growing consumer goods market is the only option, not a choice. Adoption of bamboo packaging made of woven bamboo strips and popularising their use at shops and marketplaces can play a crucial role in building the ecosystem for replacing plastic with bamboo packaging and influence the behavioural practice of the majority of consumers who have stopped taking the cloth bags for shopping. Beautifully designed packaging made of bamboo strips can also be utilised as a decorative piece, due to which the consumers will not mind paying a little extra. When discarded after a certain period, such bamboo packaging materials will not cause any pollution, as they are biodegradable, and shredded bamboo strips take only a few months to degrade in composting conditions. There are other industrial opportunities for the region, such as catering to demand for raw material for innovative products such as disposable bamboo shaving razors. Industry estimates highlight that disposable plastic razors generate approximately 70 lakh kg of plastic waste annually, with a nearly Rs 1200 crore market for these razors requiring one billion disposable kits. States in the region focusing on market-orientated plastic waste management can be useful in identifying such niche markets of bamboo products and how the region can attract the industries to make sustainable use of their bamboo resources. The policies are in place, industrial lobbying for utilising bamboo resources in the region has already been initiated, and efforts are underway to facilitate industry-entrepreneur-grower linkage. What the region needs is to move beyond policy discussions and focus on unlocking the potential to become a hub for bamboo packaging as a replacement for plastic.