Mid-year review: Industry triumphs with growth
The market for barrier-coated papers (board and packaging included) is projected to reach USD 11-billion globally by 2030.
25 Jun 2025 | 200 Views | By Sai Deepthi P
Industry triumphs with growth This issue’s focus is ITC’s factory in Nadiad, Gujarat. The previous edition of PrintWeek focused on TCPL’s greenfield facility in Vengal, Tamil Nadu. At both factories, sustainabil ity takes centre stage. In a notable development, Balrampur Chini Mills (BCML) has launched India’s first industrial-scale PLA (polylactic acid) biopolymer plant, Balrampur Bioyug. This renewable energy-powered facility will be located in Kumbhi, Uttar Pradesh, and is expected to be operational by October 2026. Praj Industries, in partnership with Thyssenkrupp Uhde India, has established a demo facility for biopolymers in Pune.
As Stefan Barot, president of the chemi cal division of BMCL, told me, the plant will be transforming sugar from sugarcane into fully compostable, bio-based plastic. In real terms, PLA would be an alternative to single-use plastic and other applications for packaging. If done correctly, India would not be dependent on China for PLA. Sustainability at scale is a theme that resonates across the industry. For example, ITC’s Nadiad factry, has earned a Platinum rating from the Indian Green Building Council’s Green Factory Buildings programme. The paper group has launched a range under the Ecobyte banner, which includes heat- and cold-resistant cups made from Filobev paperboard, leak-resistant tubs made using Filobowl, and a plastic-free, oil and grease resistant (OGR) wrapper. Noida-based Any Graphics is creating waves for its sustainability initiatives.
The company has installed a 700-kilowatt solar power system that now supplies 70% of the plant’s energy requirements. Likewise, Shree Arun Packaging Company (SAPCO) has installed a rooftop solar power system at its factory. This will help SAPCO cut its grid electricity usage by 30%. Be it capital investment, technological enhancement, or environmental accountability, the packaging sector in India is responding with agility and foresight. Case in point: TCPL Packaging. The company has emerged as a beacon of growth, record ing a 15% increase in revenue for FY 2024 25, reaching a consolidated figure of INR 1,770-crore.
In Silvassa, the company has announced a new gravure cylinder manufacturing unit, aiming to enhance back wards integration and process control with an annual capacity of 12,000 cylinders. This unit is expected to go live by the third quar ter of FY 2025-26. Decades-old flexible packaging solutions provider Swiss Pac is expanding its eco packaging portfolio. The SwissLoop monolayer pack offers barrier properties without compromising recyclability, while WasteMade uses 30–40% post-consumer recycled content for non-food segments. The firm has made investments in digital technology, integrating an HP Indigo 25K press to serve startups and short-run orders.
In Rajasthan, the Miracle Group of Companies has been ramping up its automation and corrugated packaging capacity. In 2024–25, the company invested in high-end machines from DGM India, including TechnoFold and SmartFold folder gluers, along with the SmartFlute X 1450 automatic flute laminator. With a focus on corrugated and folding carton segments, Miracle is scaling up.
Meanwhile, in Daman, Mehtaflex has installed its seventh Bobst Expert CI flexo press, in line with the company’s commit ment to delivering high-precision, coextruded flexible film packaging. Furthermore, in 2024, Bobst has received orders for four new CI flexo presses, along with two pre-owned gearless presses. The crux of the matter is, out of a total domestic paper market of 23-million metric tonnes, packaging paper and paperboard account 15-million metric tonnes. This is growing at 8-9% over the last few years.
The mono carton and brown box industry is a good alternative to single-use plastic for the simple reason that paper is biodegradable, compostable, and fully recyclable. The market for barrier-coated papers (board and packaging included) is projected to reach USD 11-billion globally by 2030. Nearly 10% of this demand for barrier coated packaging will come from India. The game, as they say, is afoot.