Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Flexible Packaging Vs Cardboard Packaging


The recent study conducted by Food Safety Laboratory in Zurich, Switzerland, indicates that recycled cardboard packaging may contaminate the foodstuffs inside. According to the study, cardboard boxes may leak chemicals called mineral oils into the foodstuffs they contain while those with bags made of other materials such as polypropylene, or which had an aluminium layer, seemed to block migration. 

Most of these mineral oils are thought to have originated from the ink in the newspapers that were recycled to make the cardboard boxes. The mineral oils in printing ink are believed to pose serious health threat with risks of chronic inflammation of various internal organs and cancer.

The research has raised concerns on potential health risks posed by mineral oils leaching from recycled cardboard, among food packaging companies’ world over prompting them to take steps towards altering or reviewing their packaging. 

Uflex Ltd. India's largest and Globe's fifth largest flexible packaging company, on the other hand, is offering complete food packaging solutions for over 25 years. The company offers optimal standard Engineering Innovated Packaging Products made out of BOPET (BIAXIALLY ORIENTED POLYETHYLENE TERAPTHALATE), BOPP (BIAXIALLY ORIENTED POLYPROPYLENE) & CPP (CAST POLYPROPYLENE) Films, designed in the close conformation to the global standard and norms.  Their excellent chemical resistance, mechanical strength, barrier against water and aroma & dimensional stability makes these films appropriate for packaging food grade products. 

Being on the edge of innovation, Uflex has been setting benchmarks for delivering innovative packaging concepts. The company is known for offering innovating packaging concepts and advanced products that cater to the changing demands of the packaging industry.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Union Budget 2011-12 a balanced Budget: Uflex

Considering the present internal and external conditions and FM constraints, in our opinion, FM has presented a very balanced and well crafted Budget 2011-12.                             

While the Budget has not given any positive sops directly to Packaging sector, on the other hand, it also has no negative impact thereon.

There are, amongst others, some of the measures / steps introduced by FM which are very timely and useful.
  1. Great impetus has been given on the infrastructure development by way of higher resource allocation, increase in FIIs limit & tax incentive on infrastructure Bonds etc. which has been backbone of economic growth.
  2. Higher resource allocation towards Education and Health sector has been very positive and also towards Defence services which is very essential and important to combat increased terrorist activities and unrest in internal security.
  3. The lower tax rate of 15% on Dividend from foreign subsidiary of Indian company has removed the disparity with the taxation of Dividend in India.  Such measure will also help in improving the foreign inflows of money into India.
  4. FM has set the direction for introduction of GST, DTC & Cos bill from next year.
  5. While the investment by foreign investor in SEBI Regd. FIIs may channelize black money from outside into India but the Govt. could have announced some direct measures to handle this issue.
But no major / concrete visible steps appear to have been covered to contain the perennial issue of sticky inflation, crude price rise and immediate addressing of epidemic of corruption, which remain major challenge to the Government. On the whole, FM really deserves appreciations and congratulations for his stupendous act.

The Author is Mr. R K Jain – Group President (Finance), Uflex Ltd.