Mr. Rajen Bhagyoday, Founder – Greendot Biopak Pvt. Ltd.
Across Indian agriculture, mulch films and nursery bags have quietly become a part of everyday farming practices. Farmers use them to retain moisture, control weeds, support sapling growth, and improve overall cultivation efficiency. But after the harvest cycle ends, another issue begins — managing the plastic waste left behind.
Recovering used agricultural plastic from farms is rarely simple. Most films are mixed with soil, roots, fertilizers, and organic residue, making collection and recycling difficult. In many cases, the waste is either dumped, burned, or remains in the field itself. Over time, this contributes to soil contamination and growing environmental pressure in agricultural regions.
Why Conventional Alternatives Fall Short?
The industry has been searching for alternatives, but durability remains a major concern.
Many compostable films available today are designed for fast decomposition. That works well for packaging, but farming conditions are far harsher. Nursery bags and mulch films are constantly exposed to sunlight, water, microorganisms, fertilizers, and changing temperatures. Farmers cannot afford materials that begin breaking down midway through a crop cycle.
This practical challenge is what led to the development of delayed composting technology.
Focused creating compostable nursery bags and mulch films that stay stable during use and compost only after their agricultural purpose is completed. The idea was not just to make the product compostable, but to make it usable under actual farming conditions.
Compostable nursery bags and mulch films have therefore been engineered to tolerate:
- Continuous soil contact
- Water and fertilizer exposure
- Tropical heat and sunlight
- High microbial activity
- Long crop growth cycles
Engineering Compostability for Indian Farming Conditions
The material has been developed to withstand continuous soil contact, moisture exposure, fertilizer interaction, microbial activity, and tropical weather conditions commonly seen across India. Depending on the surrounding environment and application, the product is designed to maintain stability for nearly 6–12 months.
During a backyard gardening experiment, one nursery bag remained intact even into the ninth month before visible signs of composting started appearing. For us, that trial reinforced an important point: compostable materials for agriculture cannot behave like short-term packaging materials.
The products are also 100% industrially compostable, offering a more responsible disposal pathway compared to conventional agricultural plastics.
Globally, conversations around farming waste are changing. The focus is slowly shifting from simply replacing plastic to developing materials that can genuinely work in field conditions without creating additional operational problems for farmers.
That balance matters.
If a sustainable material fails during cultivation, farmers are unlikely to adopt it regardless of environmental benefits. Agriculture depends on reliability, especially in climates where heat, humidity, and soil activity are high.
Conclusion
The larger opportunity today is to build agricultural materials that support both productivity and sustainability together. Solutions such as delayed compostable mulch films and nursery bags may not solve the plastic waste problem overnight, but they represent a practical step towards reducing long-term waste generated through farming inputs.
