With a view to reduce single-use plastic, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), in collaboration with Acharya Nagarjuna University and Ecolastic Private Limited, launched environmentally safe packaging products made from natural and plant-based food-grade materials.
“The bags which come in two forms, soluble and insoluble, can be biologically degraded in 3 months and cause no harm to the environment whatsoever. Unlike the conventional polyethylene bags made from petrochemicals, which are highly unsafe to the environment and takes years to degrade, these bags are the most sustainable, cost-effective, and ocean-safe alternative to single-use plastics,” DRDO and Ecolastic Private Limited said. The Director of Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL), DRDO, Ram Manohar Babu said that he feels immensely proud at launching the Ecolastic packaging product. “Government of India has decided to completely eliminate the usage of single-use plastic in the country by 2022 and these biodegradable packing bags help us make a forward step in that direction,” he said.
He added that eco-friendly products like these are essential for the survival of mankind and DRDO has played a vital role in bringing it out. Further, he mentioned that Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam has approved the distribution of these products, and stated that they have to campaign for further distribution of such products.
