SC declines the plea to ban PET

On Firday, 25 October, the Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal against the decision of the Madhya Pradesh High Court which had refused to ban the use of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) in packaging food, drugs and beverages.

05 Nov 2013 | By Rushikesh Aravkar

Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) is thermoplastic polyester widely used for production of beverage bottles. It is also used for flexible packaging film due to its high clarity, low permeability and excellent printability.
 
The petition was filed by Prani Mitra Samiti (Pramisha), a non-governmental organisation (NGO). While dismissing the special leave petition, the apex court upheld the high court verdict, which based its order on the fact that under the Food Safety Act, PET packaging had been certified by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) 26 years ago.
 
Environmentalists say scientific studies by independent groups show chemical elements in PET bottles react with chemical components in drugs and cause leaching in different temperature conditions. 
 
Tushar K Bandopadhyay, senior technical manager, ICPE Secretariat (Indian Centre for Plastics in the Environment), said, "The scientific fact is that PET bottles  are widely used for the packaging of drinking water, pharmaceuticals and beverages worldwide as an approved safe packaging material. Its safe use for direct contact with food products have been approved by statutory authorities like FDA worldwide.The BIS standard no 12252:1987 (reaffirmed 2003) approves the use of PET material for its safe use in contact with foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals and drinking water." 
 
The PET user industry includes soft drinks, pharma products, drinking water, edible oil, milk, spices, honey, ketchup, pickles and confectioneries. According to Bandopadhyay, the consumption of PET bottles in India is estimated at about six lakh tonnes per annum, most of which is collected and recycled mechanically in the organised sector. He added that in the 90’s, there was limited number of PET recyclers in India numbering five to seven; today the number is more than 30."
 
"PET bottles are absolutely safe for use as packaging material for drinking water, food and pharmaceutical products and are environment friendly. The decision by the supreme court will give a boost to the PET industry," added Bandopadhyay.