Mother Dairy has unveiled what it describes as India’s first naturally degradable milk pouch, marking a major sustainability milestone for the country’s dairy industry ahead of World Environment Day. The innovative packaging will initially be introduced for Mother Dairy’s Cow Milk variant across the Delhi-NCR market from June 5, 2026, with the company aiming to reduce plastic pollution without increasing consumer prices.
The new pouch uses a first-of-its-kind degradable packaging technology that allows the material to transform into bioavailable wax, which is then naturally broken down by microbes present in the soil into natural elements. Unlike conventional plastic, which can take centuries to decompose, the new packaging is designed to degrade in soil within a few years while leaving no trace of plastic residue.
According to Dr. Meenesh Shah, Chairman of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and Mother Dairy, the initiative demonstrates how India’s dairy sector can combine scale, sustainability and innovation. He emphasized that the transition to the new packaging is being undertaken without any impact on milk prices for consumers.
Mother Dairy Managing Director Jayen Mehta stated that the breakthrough follows more than four years of research and development. While the pouches will remain recyclable, their key advantage lies in their ability to naturally degrade into harmless elements, helping address the growing challenge of “fugitive plastic” that escapes formal waste management systems.
The company, which sells around 55 lakh litres of milk daily across multiple states, said consumers will not need to change the way they store, handle or dispose of the new pouches. The packaging innovation is also expected to maintain the same milk quality, taste and shelf life as existing packs.
Industry experts view the launch as a significant step for sustainable dairy packaging in India, where an estimated 120 million milk pouches are used and discarded every day. Analysts believe the initiative could encourage wider adoption of environmentally responsible packaging solutions across the dairy and food sectors while supporting India’s broader sustainability goals. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
Source: Dairynews7x7 03 June, 2026 Read full story here
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