The production, import and commercialization of technopor It was prohibited from December 20, 2021, as part of the provisions of Law No. 30884, which regulates the use of expanded polystyrene (EPS).
With the entry into force of this standard, companies or businesses are obliged to replace this material with plant polymer.
However, will there be any impact on consumers if it is taken into account that the majority of products that are delivered by delivery or to go are sent through these packages?
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According to the Association of Plastic Marketers, there is currently an average demand of 6 million packages per month in the country.
The position of the companies
In this regard, the Association of Hotels, Restaurants and Related of Peru (Now Peru) assured this medium that there should not be a significant impact or an increase in home delivery since the measure had been announced well in advance.
In effect, on December 18, 2018 the rule was issued which established a period of 36 months to progressively stop the manufacture and use of technopor containers for food and beverages.
However, the groups of Fuerza Popular and Acción Popular presented up to two projects for this measure to be extended until 2024, who alleged lack of machinery and the necessary input for the manufacture of containers with inputs that replace technopor.
“Many companies already had plans to buy and acquire the new material to replace these containers (…) In general, people are going to replace one material with another because many are already doing it”, Said Fredy Gamarra, general manager of Now Peru.
“The situation is not there to increase prices. Consumption is still recovering. If you increase prices and your competition does not, you are exposed to the customer not buying. Nobody wants to lose customers at this point for a little more soles”He added.
The situation projected by the Association of Plastic Marketers is different, since the union considers that the entry into force of the law that prohibits the use of technopor will only generate “crisis, speculation and hoarding.”
“They are going to take advantage of the high prices, and the importers, who are few, will benefit, harming millions of Peruvians”said the head of the union, Jaime Tejada, in dialogue with RPP.
Tejada alleges that the substitute product is imported, so since there are only around five importers, the price hike could occur due to greater demand but low supply.
“There was never a work table where it is evaluated that the manufacturers of the technopor spend with their capital to produce biodegradable in the country “, said the executive.
For Gamarra, there is not a great price difference with the new materials that restaurants will have to acquire. “Nor if it costs double or triple, it is much less. Many restaurants were already opting for new packaging that is friendly to the planet, which has all the advantages against techno because it has been used for so many years.”, He specified.
