Manjushree Technopack, one of India’s largest rigid plastics packaging companies, has four different verticals – containers, pre-form, pumps and dispensing, and caps and closures.
In the containers vertical, it makes products ranging from a 5-milliliter eye drops bottle to a 50 liter drum. In pre-form, it is a choice partner or vendor for companies such as Coke, Varun Beverages, Pepsi, Bisleri and others. The third vertical is pumps and dispensing where its clients are FMCG companies and D2C cosmetic brands. Last year, Manjushree acquired Hitesh Plastics, which makes caps and closures for beverage bottles – the fourth vertical.
Manjushree Technopack displayed its range of products at the PlastIndia exhibition held in New Delhi this February. “At PlastIndia, the football was amazing. We have had a lot of walk-ins from enthusiastic visitors. I hope we will convert most of the leads. I would say it has been a resounding success,” Rajiv Mehta, business head of Manjushree Technopack said.
The company converts roughly about 150,000 tons of plastic per year in PE, PET, HDPE, according to Mehta. “We’ve got 20 plants across India. We are coming up with a few more this year and maybe a couple more in 2025 as well,” Mehta said.
The rigid packaging industry in India is obviously growing but the per capita consumption of plastic in India is very less as compared to countries in America and Europe, Mehta said. “It is happening through modern trade and online buying. I am sure rigid packaging is going to find favor with the brands. Manjushree has been at the forefront of sustainability. We have our own PCR plant in Bangalore where we collect waste and convert it into flakes and then into pellets, which we use in our bottles. We do roughly 400 tons a month. We will add our capacity organically. We are looking for at least 12 to 13%, if not 15%, growth in rigid plastic packaging, year on year,” he added.
Down-gauging and sustainability
According to Mehta, down-gauging using less plastic is one of the themes that have been in use for some time. “If you are using a one-liter bottle, which is traditionally about 70-80 grams, how can you make that same bottle in 60 or 50 grams in HDPE and PPE? In PET, how can you reduce that even more to, say, about 15 grams?” he explained.
“The new thing is how do you make it more sustainable? How do you use more recycled products in your bottles, containers, and caps so that you become a very responsible converter? Because of climate change, sustainability is on top of everybody’s mind. It is something where we all have to work together and make it happen in one way or the other,” he concluded.
