In India, plastic pollution is a pervasive problem, with over 26,000 tonnes of plastic waste generated daily. A considerable portion of this comes from plastic bottles and their detachable caps, which are often lost during recycling processes due to their small size. Consequently, they become a part of the 8 million tonnes of plastic that end up in our oceans each year, causing irreparable harm to marine life and ecosystems. Every cap you drop joins the 3.5 million tonnes of plastic waste that leaks into India's environment each year.

The solution is clear - tethered caps. This simple design ensures that the cap stays attached to the bottle throughout its life. The European Union has already mandated tethered caps for all the single use plastic bottles as of 2024. This design leads to better material collection and higher recovery efficiency, leaving lesser plastic out there to degrade the environment.

Whereas in India, we still have caps littered around as a separate waste, creating a clear gap in packaging standards compared to global best practices. Importantly, adopting tethered caps does not increase production costs for manufacturers, it is a minor design adjustment that fits into existing machinery with bare minimum efforts as compared to the gained positive environmental impact.

We urge the Government of India to mandate tethered caps nationwide and require full compliance from all manufacturers. This is a practical, low-cost, globally aligned update that strengthens India’s packaging and recovery systems without impacting consumers or industry.

Support this petition and push for a nationally mandated tethered-cap design that aligns India with global standards.