Marico’s Bipin Odhekar on the sustainability efforts in India

On 12 February 2025, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) hosted a webinar titled Global Plastics Treaty: INC-5 and the Road Ahead, highlighting India’s strategic role in international plastic treaty negotiations. As an observer at the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5), CII provided key insights into the ongoing development of a legally binding global agreement on plastic pollution. 

The webinar also featured key speakers—Swaroop KVR, head of waste management, sustainability and EPR at Srichakra Polyplast, and Bipin Odhekar, head of sustainability, EHS and operations excellence at Marico—who were part of the CII delegation to Busan.

In a follow-up interview with WhatPackaging?, Bipin Odhekar explored the practical hurdles of implementing sustainability measures in India.

WhatPackaging? (WP): Why is there a lack of indigenisation when it comes to producing plastic alternatives in India? 
Bipin Odhekar (BO): As of now, plastic is the cheapest material considering its physical properties for packaging material. The cost of any alternative is to be seen from the perspective of the affordability of that product in developing countries like India. Even if technologies are available, the transition may take time.

WP: To what extent does cost play a part in packaging? Is that the reason virgin plastic is deployed instead of rPET? 
BO: Packaging needs certain barrier properties like oxygen transmission ratio or water vapour transmission ratio to protect product integrity. To achieve this, rPET production systems and in-feed stock have to be of high quality. India has fewer capacities for good quality recycled plastic manufacturing as of now. Therefore, the cost is higher than virgin plastic.  

WP: How feasible is a large-scale shift to sustainable plastic packaging for Indian manufacturers?
BO: Highly feasible. In fact, it's happening right now. Huge investments are going on into waste segregation and recycling facilities. We can see good momentum in the near future.

WP: Has the sustainable mission led you to any design innovation in packaging? 
BO: Our sustainable packaging program has four targets: Dematerialisation, which involves reducing weight and carbon emission every year through design change, eliminating hazardous materials, ensuring 100% recyclability of our packaging material, and using recycled plastic in packaging. We have conducted many successful commercial projects in all four areas. However, all these changes require handholding at the vendor’s end to ensure it's a success.

WP: Has the sustainability drive triggered a shift in contractual agreements drawn between vendor and client? What kind of monitoring and evaluation systems are in place now?
BO: There will be an initial impact as you change expectations from vendors. However, if the company partners with them to improve sustainability performance, then the impact is long-term. We at Marico run a program called “Samyut” for responsible sourcing to bring sustainability in the supply chain. It is designed in a step-by-step manner, which starts with a code of conduct certification, self-assessment, external assessment, and positive long-term performance. We monitor performance through the mechanisms in place.

WP: Going forward, what is Marico’s strategy regarding sustainable and green raw material sourcing? 
BO: Raw material sourcing has many aspects, especially based on the nature of the material. We have created “Code for responsible sourcing for Agri and non-Agri material”. We educate our suppliers on code and drive change.