Mumbai, July 25 -- In a major push to curb plastic pollution and establish Maharashtra as a green manufacturing hub, the state government has approved the Maharashtra Bioplastics Policy 2026, the state's first dedicated policy to promote the bioplastics sector. The policy aims to attract Rs.25,000 crore in greenfield investments over the next five years, including at least Rs.10,000 crore in Polylactic Acid (PLA) manufacturing facilities, alongside generating 100,000 jobs across the value chain. It sets ambitious sustainability targets, including reducing Maharashtra's dependence on imported PLA by 50% by 2030, replacing at least 30% single-use plastic (SUP) packaging with bioplastics in identified sectors, and ramping up bioplastics exports from the state to $1billion. The policy also aims to integrate 100,000 farmers into the bioplastics feedstock supply chain through sugarcane, corn, and starch-based procurement arrangements, creating new and sustainable income opportunities. The development comes amid growing concerns over conventional plastic waste, microplastic pollution, marine contamination, and greenhouse gas emissions. While the global bioplastics market is witnessing rapid growth, India currently contributes only around 0.46% of global production and remains dependent on imports of key biopolymers, particularly PLA. Maharashtra has several advantages that can help it become a leading bioplastics manufacturing centre. It is the country's largest producer of sugarcane and a major ethanol producer, providing abundant feedstock such as sugarcane derivatives, molasses, bagasse, corn, and starch. During the 2025-26 sugar season, around 200 operational sugar mills in Maharashtra crushed approximately 104.56 million metric tonnes of sugarcane and produced nearly 9.92 million metric tonnes of sugar. The state's strong chemical manufacturing base, leading research institutions, and logistics infrastructure, including the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), further strengthen its potential to develop an integrated bioplastics ecosystem. "Evidence from city-level enforcement and independent studies shows that while the 2018 plastic ban has reduced certain waste streams, enforcement remains uneven, particularly during festivals and in the informal retail sector. This highlights the need to build supply-side capacity for certified compostable alternatives and scale up compliant end-of-life processing infrastructure," a senior official from the state industries department said....