Firms ponder use of costly aluminium as plastic ban looms

As the deadline for use of nylon packaging materials looms, and with the government saying the decision to ban the environmentally hazardous material would not be reversed, it is time for shoppers, retailers, and plastic paper manufactures to look for alternatives.

Use of aluminium foil could be among the next options, the high price notwithstanding, as it stops moisture from entering packaged goods.

This comes even as Nairobi County says nylon paper users should pay for alternative wrapping materials when they purchase goods from corner shops and supermarkets.

The devolved unit has already passed a Bill which, if adopted, would discourage residents from using plastics based on the extra cost they would have to pay for new packaging, over and above the cost of the purchased products.

On the ground, however, companies which use polythene bags for packaging are in a state of panic after the country blocked importation of nylon making raw materials.

The Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) said the move was aimed at starving the market of any such products ahead of the August 28 deadline.

Kebs Pre-Export Verification of Conformity manager Bernard Nguyo said the standards body had instructions to fully implement Cabinet Secretary Judi Wakhungu’s directive of February 28 which gave a six-month grace period to anyone possessing nylon paper stock to dispose it.

The Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) has, however, criticised the ban, saying it has disrupted production in various companies, with many contemplating a switch to the costly aluminium foil paper. The latter bars light, oxygen, moisture and bacteria from entering packaged products.

“Which packaging paper can be used to pack salt meant for human consumption, and why would Kebs go against the Cabinet secretary’s order that allowed primary nylon paper usage in industries?” posed KAM chief executive Phyllis Wakiaga.

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Prof Wakhungu’s order cited continued environmental degradation as the reason for the ban.

The manufactures’ association said Kebs’s action amounted to disregard of the requirement for industry-wide consultations before any order affecting a party is implemented.

Ms Wakiaga said many industries had been left with no option but to use costly packaging papers and pass on the cost to consumers. “Kebs has also declined to renew manufacturers’ permits to use the standardisation mark on their export-destined flowers and horticulture products, among others. This could pose a new challenge to fresh produce exporters who will have to seek certification of new packaging material,” she said.

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“We wonder why up to now, no alternative packaging products have been approved for use by various manufacturers. Salt makers are waiting for suggestions from the government on available alternatives,” said Ms Wakiaga.

The association’s letter says the decline of approval for Pre-Export Verification of Conformity exemption, based on the recent plastics ban, is worrying since various sectors would be hard hit.

An example is the construction sector, which requires wet and freshly laid concrete surfaces to be covered. Lack of plastic paper will affect the quality of work on roads and other public infrastructure.

Several firms are incurring heavy losses as import orders for plastic material were made long before the ban.

Ms Wakiaga wondered why companies manufacturing export-only nylon papers were also affected by the ban.

On its part, the National Environment Management Authority (Nema) said no nylon paper products would be allowed to circulate after August 28.

Nema director general Geoffrey Wahungu said secondary use of plastic bags to package any product stands banned.