Mother Dairy Launches India’s First Naturally Degradable Milk Pouch

A degradable packaging technology is used for the new pouch, which will help enable the material to transform into bioavailable wax, which is then broken down by microbes present in the soil into natural elements within a few years rather than centuries.

Managing Director of Mother Dairy, Jayatheertha Chary, said at a press conference in New Delhi that it took over four years of research to develop a naturally degradable milk pouch that won’t leave any trace of plastic in the environment

It was reportedly said that the testing confirms that the new material will have zero impact on the milk’s quality, taste, or the standard shelf life. Company officials also confirmed that this initiative will not affect consumer milk prices or impact how consumers store, handle, or dispose of their milk packets.

Plastic milk pouches pose notable health and environmental concerns. The primary risks include chemical leaching (like BPA and phthalates) and microplastic contamination, which are accelerated by heat, sunlight, and the fat content in milk. Additionally, the tiny snipped corners of pouches often evade recycling and end up polluting ecosystems.

Mother Dairy is a leading Indian public sector dairy company that manufactures, markets, and sells milk, milk products, and other food items. It was commissioned in 1974 as an initiative under Operation Flood, and it is a wholly owned subsidiary of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB). The company is headquartered in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, and is well-known for its signature token milk booths and extensive distribution networks.