Current recycling practices are failing polyolefin circularity, says Prof S Sivaram at Respack

India's packaging industry must fundamentally rethink how it approaches polyolefin recycling if it hopes to achieve genuine circularity, according to Prof S Sivaram, Padma Shri awardee, honorary professor emeritus at IISER Pune and advisor to FIPS.

Delivering one of the most candid and technically detailed keynote addresses at Respack 2026, Prof Sivaram expressed frustration at what he described as the industry's slow progress despite years of discussion around plastics circularity.

"This is the third consecutive year that I am speaking at this forum," Sivaram said. "I am not very sure we have really made significant progress." Focusing exclusively on polyolefins, he argued that the industry's current approach to recycling remains inadequate for meeting future regulatory requirements and sustainability commitments.

Recycling is not circularity

One of Sivaram's strongest criticisms was directed at the widespread assumption that collection, segregation and mechanical recycling alone can solve India's plastics challenge. "Recycling in the manner that is performed in India is value destructive," he said.

According to Prof Sivaram, the objective of circularity should not be merely to divert waste from landfills but to restore material quality to a level where recycled resins can be used in demanding applications. "The goal of circularity is not simply to recycle plastics but to restore material quality to a level that is suitable for demanding applications and through circular use." He noted that most recycled polyolefins currently fail to achieve the consistency and performance required to replace virgin materials.

India's growing packaging challenge

Sivaram pointed to the rapid expansion of India's packaging sector as both an economic opportunity and an environmental challenge. Over the last five years, per-capita packaging consumption has risen from approximately 10.5 kg to 17 kg annually, while flexible packaging now accounts for roughly 75% of the country's packaging consumption.

"This is good news for the industry, but it is bad news for the environment," he said. India currently consumes around 8 million tonnes of polyolefins in packaging applications. With economic growth expected to continue, that figure could triple by 2040. "We have no choice except to become circular in the use of polyolefins."

Why sorting alone cannot solve the problem

A significant portion of Sivaram's address focused on the technical realities of recycling polyolefins. He challenged the common belief that better waste segregation alone will solve the recycling challenge. "Segregation is important, but this alone cannot resolve the problem." Unlike PET, polyolefins consist of hundreds of different material grades with varying molecular structures and performance characteristics.

"There is no technology to separate polyolefins within the families of polyolefins that we consume." This makes the production of consistent, high-quality recycled resins extremely difficult.

Sivaram also highlighted the issue of molecular degradation, contamination and additive migration that occurs during product use and subsequent recycling. "Washing and cleaning can only take care of surface impurities. It cannot take care of embedded impurities."

A warning on food-contact applications

One of the most direct warnings in the presentation concerned the use of recycled polyolefins in food-contact packaging. Sivaram argued that the industry does not yet fully understand the long-term implications of contaminants that remain trapped within recycled polymers. "Please do not allow recycled polyolefins into contact applications. Wait for a few more years of data generation and understanding before we can take that large step." He stressed that while mechanical recycling technologies are effective at removing visible contamination, embedded impurities remain a scientific challenge.

Product-to-product recycling

While acknowledging the potential of advanced recycling technologies, Sivaram argued that chemical recycling remains largely at the demonstration stage and faces major economic and logistical barriers. Instead, he advocated what he described as "product-to-product recycling" supported by advanced mechanical recycling systems and traceable reverse supply chains. "This is not easy, but not impossible." He revealed that work is already underway with an industry partner to demonstrate a polypropylene product-to-product recycling model at commercial scale.

Transparency must become mandatory

Perhaps his sharpest criticism was directed at the industry's lack of transparency. Sivaram called for mandatory disclosure of polymer composition, additives, pigments and recycled content. "Nobody is listening," he remarked while discussing the need for transparent labelling. According to him, modern digital technologies make such disclosure technically straightforward, but implementation remains slow.

"We need regulations. We need compulsory responsibility on the part of industry to disclose everything about a polymer on the packaging."

A call for leadership

Sivaram concluded by urging the industry to stop treating recycling solely as a waste-management exercise and instead recognise it as a value-creation opportunity."We have the knowledge, skill and experience. What we need is the will to do it."

He called on brand owners, recyclers, academia, government and resin producers to work together to create a circular system capable of managing polyolefins at scale.

"We should end the endless carousel syndrome of each actor blaming the other."

For an audience accustomed to incremental discussions around sustainability, Sivaram's message was unmistakable: the science is understood, the challenge is known, and the time for action has already arrived.