Paper bag makers get enquiries, but few big orders as shops hope the ban will go

BENGALURU: Paper and cloth manufacturers have not seen a significant increase in orders, partly because many retailers think the ban will not last.
Bag Factory, a major paper bag manufacturing company in Bengaluru with the capacity to produce over two million paper bags a month and whose clients include Levi's, Flying Machine and Soch, has seen the number of enquiries increase, but most of these enquiries do not translate into orders.Bharat, a partner in the firm, said most retailers are not very confident that the ban will remain. “So they place orders for very small numbers like 200-500 bags, which will last them for about a week,“ he said.
Staff in other manufacturers like Paper World and Lathikasri Packag ing also said there was no significant increase in demand for paper bags.
Joyce, a volunteer at Suruchi Empowering Women, an organization that makes jute and paper bags, feels that the plastic ban will be much more effective if consumers, rather than vendors, were targeted. She and her fellow volunteers are trying to educate buyers on the hazards of plastic, and the economic and environmental benefits of carrying their own cloth bags. She said small vendors who are already burdened with the procurement of their items for sale should not be additionally burdened with the task of finding biodegradable bags that are more expensive than plastic bags.
Asked whether workers in the plastic bag making business could shift to making cloth or jute bags, she said it would not be easy as these require special skills.