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“Cement packaging can be made much better and safer for the environment.”

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Alpesh Patel is the founder and managing director of Knack Packaging Pvt. Ltd. He established the company in 1993 and since then has been supervising and controlling all processes at the organisation. He also holds prominent roles in the industry as the Chairman of Plastic Export Promotion Council – Gujarat, Chairman of Indian Institute of Packaging – Ahmedabad and President of Poly Woven Association – Gujarat. He has been recognised with the Rashtriya Udhyog Ratna Award in Council for Economic Growth and Research for “Excellence in their respective field” in 2011. His philosophy is to keep learning, improving and growing.

What are the various types of cement packaging bags made by your company? Tell us more about the composition of the most used packaging material for cement?
There are three types of bags and the fourth is the new renovation. The first type of bag is a PP unlaminated bag, the second type is PP laminated coated bag and third type is BOPP laminated bag with block bottom. The issue with the PP unlaminated bags is that cement comes out of it often since it has a wall and due to which it also creates dust. The fourth quality of cement bag is a new product, known as pinch bottom bag. These are one of the world’s finest quality bags. It looks like a brick but the system of packing it is the same as the wall bag packing system. It does not have any leakages and is considered to be the best. I personally think that the third quality bags, BOPP laminated bags with block bottom are also great. They serve 98 per cent of what the pinch bags can do. Since during their packaging their mouth is open, that leaves little chance of leakage and that’s why they are just close to perfect.

What is the volume of cement packaging manufactured and consumed by cement companies in India?
I’ll tell you three things. We are producing 700,000 bags per day of which 150,000 bags per day are supplied to the cement industry on an everyday basis. This is a big question to answer but according to me, yearly about 60 to 70 crore bags are consumed by the cement industry. From these crores of bags, Knack Packaging supplies about 3 to 4 crores of bags to the manufacturers of cement.

Tell us more about the technology of manufacturing the bags used for cement packaging?
We use polypropylene (PP) granules to make the fabric of the cement packaging bags. These granules are selected on the basis of the type of bags that are to be made. This also falls under the textile industry since the granules are converted to a fabric like material but made of PP. You can consider just how shirts are made from a fabric, similarly, cement packaging bags are made from granule fabric.
We have the infrastructure to create the every size and type of cement packaging bags required by our customers.

How well are these bags equipped to protect cement?
When cement is packed in unlaminated bags, it causes a lot of dust and wastage on the packaging floor, while loading it and wherever it is stored. Even when these bags are carried to the place of construction, there is a certain amount of leakage. This happens due to the pressure with which cement is packed in these bags. Because of the coating on coated bags, cement comes out or is wasted only from the top and bottom where the bag is sealed off. In the third type of bags, the BOPP laminated bags, the wastage is significantly reduced. The material for the bags used is the same so it isn’t harming the environment. Since these bags have three layers, it not only prevents wastage, it also allows major branding.

What alternative materials are used to make cement packaging more eco-friendly?
PP unlaminated bags are made from PP granules. Then the coating on these bags is done with a material in the same family as that of PP. The BOPP print, in the third layer of the bags is also done from a material in the same family as PP. Various quality bags are made with layering of these materials. These materials are very easily recyclable and cause almost no harm to the environment. The bags can be reused as well, thus, reducing the wastage that may occur due to discarding one time use bags. These combinations are used with colour combinations to distinguish between bags.

What is the wastage that occurs in cement packaging? What is its volume?
According to the industry standard, there is only 2 to 3 per cent wastage in the manufacturing of cement packaging bags. This can also be greatly reduced by increasing the production efficiency in making the bags. However, this is the minimum amount of wastage in the industry possible.

Tell us more about the efforts taken to reduce the wastage in cement packaging?
Our industry has taken the initiative of recycling the waste that occurs during the production of cement packaging. Those 2 or 3 per cent of waste material is turned into granules and used again to make cement packaging fabric. This makes our wastage zero.
This is an initiative taken only by us at the moment and as the chairman of the Indian Institute of Packaging, I request all packaging makers to make this effort to leave the world a better place for the next generation. As leaders in the industry, it becomes our responsibility to lead the way of making this small effort to reduce the wastage in a big volume. Reprocess and reuse for a better tomorrow.

How can cement packaging be made more eco-friendly and contribute towards the betterment of the environment?
Cement packaging can be made much better, safer for the environment and supportive of the circular economy by developing ‘Reprocessing Plants’.
I have taken the effort to install these plants in all my group companies and have helped my fellow entrepreneurs and friends set up the same in their plants to make a difference for the environment. There are many internal processes that have wastage, that itself can be reprocessed and granulated and can be used to make the fabric of the next batch of packaging material or can be sold out where it can be used.

What are the innovations expected in the future for cement packaging?
There are some changes that will be seen in the packaging in the near future.
One would be small packaging of cement, i.e., 10 kg and 25 kg against the 50 kilo bags that are largely available in the current times. Bulk packaging would be avoided in the near future. The other would-be green packaging. This would mean 100 per cent biodegradable bags. And as we have also begun manufacturing pinch bottom bags, they are going to be big in the coming years. What I would like to add with this interview is value to the cement industry and a message to everyone in the cement industry and the cement packaging industry is to collect the cement bags back instead of putting them in waste. These used bags can be used in the kilns as fuel to be burned and create heat. This can save natural resources and thus result in reduction of natural disasters. Cement industry can be a large contributor to the protection of the environment and small steps like these can make a big difference for the future.

Kanika Mathur

Concrete

India Sets Up First Carbon Capture Testbeds for Cement Industry

Five CCU testbeds launched to decarbonise cement production

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The Department of Science and Technology (DST) recently unveiled a pioneering national initiative: five Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) testbeds in the cement sector, forming a first-of-its-kind research and innovation cluster to combat industrial carbon emissions.
This is a significant step towards India’s Climate Action for fostering National Determined Contributions (NDCs) targets and to achieve net zero decarbonisation pathways for Industry Transition., towards the Government’s goal to achieve a carbon-neutral economy by 2070.
Carbon Capture Utilisation (CCU) holds significant importance in hard-to-abate sectors like Cement, Steel, Power, Oil &Natural Gas, Chemicals & Fertilizers in reducing emissions by capturing carbon dioxide from industrial processes and converting it to value add products such as synthetic fuels, Urea, Soda, Ash, chemicals, food grade CO2 or concrete aggregates. CCU provides a feasible pathway for these tough to decarbonise industries to lower their carbon footprint and move towards achieving Net Zero Goals while continuing their operations efficiently. DST has taken major strides in fostering R&D in the CCUS domain.
Concrete is vital for India’s economy and the Cement industry being one of the main hard-to-abate sectors, is committed to align with the national decarbonisation commitments. New technologies to decarbonise emission intensity of the cement sector would play a key role in achieving of national net zero targets.
Recognizing the critical need for decarbonising the Cement sector, the Energy and Sustainable Technology (CEST) Division of Department launched a unique call for mobilising Academia-Industry Consortia proposals for deployment of Carbon Capture Utilisation (CCU) in Cement Sector. This Special call envisaged to develop and deploy innovative CCU Test bed in Cement Sector with thrust on Developing CO2 capture + CO2 Utilisation integrated unit in an Industrial set up through an innovative Public Private Partnership (PPP) funding model.
As a unique initiative and one of its first kind in India, DST has approved setting up of five CCU testbeds for translational R&D, to be set up in Academia-Industry collaboration under this significant initiative of DST in PPP mode, engaging with premier research laboratories as knowledge partners and top Cement companies as the industry partner.
On the occasion of National Technology Day celebrations, on May 11, 2025 the 5 CCU Cement Test beds were announced and grants had been handed over to the Test bed teams by the Chief Guest, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology; Earth Sciences and Minister of State for PMO, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Dr Jitendra Singh in the presence of Secretary DST Prof. Abhay Karandikar.
The five testbeds are not just academic experiments — they are collaborative industrial pilot projects bringing together India’s top research institutions and leading cement manufacturers under a unique Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. Each testbed addresses a different facet of CCU, from cutting-edge catalysis to vacuum-based gas separation.
The outcomes of this innovative initiative will not only showcase the pathways of decarbonisation towards Net zero goals through CCU route in cement sector, but should also be a critical confidence building measure for potential stakeholders to uptake the deployed CCU technology for further scale up and commercialisation.
It is envisioned that through continuous research and innovation under these test beds in developing innovative catalysts, materials, electrolyser technology, reactors, and electronics, the cost of Green Cement via the deployed CCU technology in Cement Sector may considerably be made more sustainable.
Secretary DBT Dr Rajesh Gokhale, Dr Ajai Choudhary, Co-Founder HCL, Dr. Rajesh Pathak, Secretary, TDB, Dr Anita Gupta Head CEST, DST and Dr Neelima Alam, Associate Head, DST were also present at the programme organized at Dr Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi.

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Concrete

JK Lakshmi Adopts EVs to Cut Emissions in Logistics

Electric vehicles deployed between JK Puram and Kalol units

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JK Lakshmi Cement, a key player in the Indian cement industry, has announced the deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) in its logistics operations. This move, made in partnership with SwitchLabs Automobiles, will see EVs transporting goods between the JK Puram Plant in Sirohi, Rajasthan, and the Kalol Grinding Unit in Gujarat.
The announcement follows a successful pilot project that showcased measurable reductions in carbon emissions while maintaining efficiency. Building on this, the company is scaling up EV integration to enhance sustainability across its supply chain.
“Sustainability is integral to our vision at JK Lakshmi Cement. Our collaboration with SwitchLabs Automobiles reflects our continued focus on driving innovation in our logistics operations while taking responsibility for our environmental footprint. This initiative positions us as a leader in transforming the cement sector’s logistics landscape,” said Arun Shukla, President & Director, JK Lakshmi Cement.
This deployment marks a significant step in aligning with India’s push for greener transport infrastructure. By embracing clean mobility, JK Lakshmi Cement is setting an example for the industry, demonstrating that environmental responsibility can go hand in hand with operational efficiency.
The company continues to embed sustainability into its operations as part of a broader goal to reduce its carbon footprint. This initiative adds to its vision of building a more sustainable and eco-friendly future.
JK Lakshmi Cement, part of the 135-year-old JK Organisation, began operations in 1982 and has grown to become a recognised name in Indian cement. With a presence across Northern, Western, and Eastern India, the company has a cement capacity of 16.5 MTPA, with a target to reach 30 MT by 2030. Its product range includes ready-mix concrete, gypsum plaster, wall putty, and autoclaved aerated fly ash blocks.

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Concrete

Holcim UK drives sustainable construction

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Holcim UK has released a report titled ‘Making Sustainable Construction a Reality,’ outlining its five-fold commitment to a greener future. The company aims to focus on decarbonisation, circular economy principles, smarter building methods, community engagement, and integrating nature. Based on a survey of 2,000 people, only 41 per cent felt urban spaces in the UK are sustainably built. A significant majority (82 per cent) advocated for more green spaces, 69 per cent called for government leadership in sustainability, and 54 per cent saw businesses as key players. Additionally, 80 per cent of respondents stressed the need for greater transparency from companies regarding their environmental practices.

Image source:holcim

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