Chewing tobacco plastic pouches banned 15 Mar 2011. India’s EUR 2.92 billion chewing tobacco industry is under severe threat after the country’s Supreme Court banned the use of its popular packaging pouches.

From 1 March 2011, the industry has to adopt non-plastic packaging for products such as gutka and pan masala. According to Rajesh Malpani, secretary general of the Smokeless Tobacco Federation (India), 1 March is too tight a deadline to consider the cost effectiveness of any substitute and develop new packaging manufacturing systems to replace the banned plastic pouches for chewing tobacco which were banned due to complaints about their lack of biodegradability and recyclability. “I am not sure that any feasible option will come even in next six months,” he tells TJI. Read more...