The author says that the market for polymer and plastic products is growing steadfastly in India. Yet, India seems to be lagging in accepting new inventions and products for a variety of reasons.

After studying nanocomposite polymer system during PhD at university of Cincinnati, the first opportunity I had with product development in real life applications was coatings to support 3D printing. It was an independent invention at the end of my doctoral studies in collaboration with another graduate student in lab across hallway, Brad Ruff, an expert in mechanical engineering who introduced me to the world of 3D printing along with problems it faced. I was excited to be part of this entrepreneurial project as 3D printing is one of the latest advancements in material science still in its infancy and India is yet to catch up in this application. The problem was that the first layer of any object should stick to a surface while it is being 3D printed, but once the object is made, it should be easily released. There was no such product till 2014 that was made specifically for this application, and a deep understanding of polymers is necessary to innovate such a product as adhering and releasing are two opposite phenomena that should be exhibited by a single product. Once we had porotypes’, we went live on Kickstarter with our coated substrate plate “Geckotek” for 3D printers which was successful with initial seed funding raised to $60,000.

As the product began to be sold commercially, I obviously took this product to India to share with various companies involved with 3D printing. Although the product received a great appreciation yet there was hesitation to adapt such technology. The first road block was the pricing and currency exchange rates as production was being done in USA. Secondly, production in India would not make it cheap as ingredients used in making Geckotek coating were highly specialized and engineered that were not available in Indian market and had to be imported from USA or European countries. Thirdly, Indian 3D printing manufacturers are focused on making big production scale 3D printers for mass manufacturing while in USA there is big group of 3D printer hobbyists who love to try new designs and products. The first generation of Geckotek coatings was not meant for manufacturing scale 3D printers and was more for hobbyists or small scale jobs, but the bigger picture was that Indian Entrepreneurs were not interested in spending resources on developing a new substrate for large scale 3D printers, as they were content with conventional way of 3D printing such as ABS slurry of kepton tape which are often inefficient or unsafe. While Geckotek coatings were appreciated and well received in American market, it was perceived mostly as a “geeky” innovation in India. That made me realize how these two countries operates so differently when it comes to market for materials. In spite of having cutting edge research Institutes like ICT and IITs we often are not able to launch new products due to non-willingness of market to change which in turn is due to mindset of end consumers and restricted spending habits (which is good in a way).  On the other hand, in USA, not only resources are available for research, but market is also open to try new ideas and test new concepts. Thus, one can make a co-relation, for any country to be technologically advanced, an open market provides fertile conditions where new inventions and innovated products are accepted.

Another important application for polymeric material is baby diapers which is a huge global market and India is one of the fastest growing markets in baby care while USA is approaching stagnation. With the help of polymeric materials, we have come a long way for baby diapers from using milkweed leaf, animal skin, moss, linens and other natural resources to cloth diapers and to super absorbent breathable disposable diapers.

The most important properties for baby diaper users are leakage prevention and design features that enhance the fit and perceived comfort of baby diapers. Most of the ground-breaking research occurred in USA as evident by numerous patents issued to American companies.  Scientists worked diligently on several aspects of diapers manufacturing to ensure that a) the back sheet does not leek but is porous enough to allow passage of air b) elastic tab should be stretchable just enough to fit baby’s waist without being very tight, and they should have strength to survive in case mother over stretches them, c) A lot of non-woven are used in diapers which are again polymer coated fibers to provide comfort and softness to baby’s skin.

All of above-mentioned research took place primarily in USA because the consumers were ready to accept a new product decades ago while Indian consumers at the time were not ready to spend money on something like diapers and the practice was to stick to traditional ‘langot’ type diaper made of cloth. According to report published by Research and Markets in Indian Diapers Market, 2021 “In India, of late, the hygiene industry is experiencing an unprecedented growth as hygiene products are being adopted into the lifestyle of the masses. With the increased awareness and increasing purchasing power, customers are fast shifting from cloth nappies to baby diapers. Consumers today are looking for baby diapering solutions that go beyond the basic benefits of dryness and go the extra mile to incorporate value-adding features such as softness and caring for their baby’s delicate skin.”

The market for polymer and plastic products is growing steadfastly in India. Plastic industry is usually associated with non-biodegradable material that is not good for environment, but it is equally important to understand that plastics are making extraordinary human achievements possible through applications in aerospace and satellites due to light weight designs. They are making everyday life better by preventing food wastage through applications in Food Industry for packaging and preserving. Plastics are the most sought out material for production as the processing of these material is highly efficient and sustainable requiring less energy and natural resources and generates fraction of greenhouse gas emission compared to alternative materials – metals or ceramics. It also increases efficiency for transportation and freight due to light weight vehicles in ground transportation and aviation. Moreover, with the advancement in polymer technology, these materials can be designed to have desired properties that has added convenience and luxury to our modern life.

However, at the same time the non-biodegradable waste that is associated with single-use plastic also needs to be addressed. Plastic pollution has emerged as a global phenomenon over the decades of accumulation that requires global and comprehensive solution. India is visibly one of the countries that is affected badly by plastic pollution in spite of having lower per capita consumption of plastic compared to other developed countries. About 300 million tons of plastic is produced globally each year, out of which roughly 6% is produced in India. Out of total plastic produced in India, 80% is discarded as waste, and due to lack of awareness and proper protocols to discard plastic waste for recycling, most of it goes into landfills and oceans. Govt. is taking strong steps to reduce plastic pollution for example banning of single use plastic in Maharashtra, but this is not going to be enough as plastics are used almost everywhere from a wallet in pocket, wrist watch and eye glasses, plastic bottles and packaging material to bikes and cars. Moreover, the consumption of plastic is increasing at a drastic rate in India due to increased buying power of middle class.  With increasing demand and consumption of plastics, there need to be more cognizance about proper disposal of plastic waste for efficient recycling. It is a responsibility not only for the government but also the plastic manufacturers and eventually end consumers to spread awareness and tackle plastic pollution strategically and boldly. Else our luxury today will become a burden for our future generations.

(The author is a Polymer Scientist, earned his Doctorate in Material Science from University of Cincinnati, Ohio. He is co-inventor of Geckotek, a specialty coating that is used in 3D printing. He is active researcher in application of polymeric material in health and hygiene sector.)

 Disclaimer – The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to the author’s employer, organization, committee or other group or individual.