Though tinplate is recognized as the truly eco-friendly packaging medium, in India it is yet to reap the benefits of this unique characteristic. Usage of non-biodegradable packaging alternatives is on the increase, though some Indian states have banned the use of poly-bags. Consumer packs in almost all segments have shifted to alternative packaging material, though health hazards and deleterious environmental effects of these alternatives are well known. One way to check this unregulated usage could be to impose additional levies in some form depending on the eco-friendliness of the packaging material being used as is done in some developed countries.

The Government already has in place some regulatory mechanisms to check use of substandard material, such as the recent amendment to the PFA Act with respect to usage of prime tinplate and BIS certified containers for edible oil packaging. However, it is the responsibility of the State Governments to enforce these regulations and prevent the reuse of containers TFS and blackplate for manufacture of edible oil/vanaspati containers.

It appears that the enforcement of these regulations is lax as the use of substandard material is on the rise.

The Government has also introduced floor prices for import of non-prime tinplates to curb the inflow of substandard material. Unfortunately unscrupulous traders taking advantage of the lack of any floor price for non-prime TFS have been importing nonprime tinplates and misprints at ridiculously low prices by misdeclaring the same as TFS to circumvent the provisions of the floor price mechanism. Also, since the floor price is not applicable to tinplate strips of widths below 600 mm, traders are using this route to bring in non-prime tinplates which are being used for packaging edible oils and other processed edibles.

As compared to global consumption patterns, India's per capita consumption of tinplate is currently at an abysmally low level of perhaps less than 0.3 kg (annual consumption is estimated at 3,00,000 MT). Even China with a larger population base boasts of a per capita consumption of over 1 kg.

To correct this rather dismal picture it is necessary for all the players in the tinplate packaging industry to get their act together. It is heartening to note, in this context, the efforts of the Tinplate Promotion Council (TPC), which has brought together on the same platform, for the first time the steel producers, tinplate manufacturers and can fabricators with the basic objective of increasing the per capita consumption of tinplate in India. The Council's plans to achieve this by providing cost effective solutions through technological improvements, winning lost market, fighting substitution threats and focussing on market development and introduction of new products, is a step in the right direction.

To start with, there is need to pursue lightweighting and tin coating reduction efforts aggressively to make cans more cost effective. Can designs also need to undergo revolutionary changes to attract consumers. Steel and tinplate producers need to gear up to provide products of quality to make this possible. However, success of these efforts will depend to a large extent on the acceptability of these innovations by the fillers who have a wide array of established options to choose from.

The success of TPC's efforts to resurrect the tinplate industry will depend to a large extent on support from Government for enforcing the legislation already in place to prevent use of substandard packaging material. While growing environmental concerns should favour the use of tinplate, the most eco-friendly packaging material, concerted effort will also be required to create public awareness of the unquestionable merits of tinplate as a packaging medium especially for processed edibles.