Joel Paper Cover, a Kudumbashree unit based at Ayiroor, Pathanamthitta, has seen some fresh orders since the news of a ban on single-use plastic products trickled in. Barring a couple, the remaining are all current customers. The unit, though, is actively looking for new clientele for its paper bags, cake bags, biryani containers, and inner covers used for textiles. The ban has come as a glimmer of hope that it may boost income from mere average to good.
More than 750 Kudumbashree microenterprise units in the State are involved in making eco-friendly alternatives to plastic. The units have continued to function, albeit in a limited way, through COVID-19 and the challenges it posed. Now, their prospects seem brighter since single-use plastics have been banned to mitigate the pollution caused by them. The units have started to receive orders for their eco-friendly products, and have the capacity to meet an increase in demand, say Kudumbashree officials.
