Bags made from jute are a great substitute for plastic bags. Jute bags are more durable and environmentally friendly than plastic. In most countries, plastic bags are now chargeable and are frequently reused. Would not it be better that we promote jute sacks now?
Marcelo
Plastic, paper and jute are three principal raw materials which are used to make sacks. When it comes to the market share, plastic account for nearly one-third of the market, followed by paper; while jute packaging accounts for less 5% of the market. Jute is also a highly eco-friendly material and can last longer compared to plastic and paper.
Even though a jute sack is durable, it is the most expensive compared to plastic and paper sacks. So cost is the key hurdle hindering its adoption.
Further to this, over 90% of jute is produced in South Asia. So, the raw material is heavily concentrated in one region. It is also expensive to ship it to other countries for processing. So, all the processing is conducted locally and to some extent on a smaller scale.
Another critical factor is, unlike, plastic and paper raw materials, jute fibre is an agri-based product. This makes it more vulnerable to seasonality. So, prices of jute can be quite volatile due to demand and supply.