In a major effort to curb the sales of spurious products that are packaged in re-used glass containers and bottles, the All India Glass Manufacturers Federation (AIGMF) has proposed the introduction of identification marks on bottles to indicate the time of their production. In this connection, it launched the Traceability Project which will take off across the country from June 9.

AIGMF is now recommending the only way to stop these harmful and illegal practices was to create and enforce a policy of 'Marking for Traceability so as to stop these unlawful and unhygienic re-usages of glass containers. Traceability in packaging is a global phenomenon which is generally used to identify specific lot of products recalled.

According to the proposal every bottle will carry a manufacture date and if products are filled in them, it will be easy to detect the source. If there is no indication of date then the glass is a reused version containing a fake or spurious drug, said SC Vishwakarma, president, All India Glass Manufacturers Federation (AIGMF).

All glass container manufacturers from Alembic to Seair Impex Private Limited are taking the proposal under the support of the Federation.

There have been increasing instances of pharma manufacturers being lured to re-use old glass bottles as they are cheaper than the new ones. But the irony is that the cost saving is not passed on to the public.

There is also a need to create awareness among the public on the glass bottle re-use which is rampant in India. In this regard, the AIGMF is looking to associate the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) besides school and colleges students to take the first steps of educating the public about this. Reuse of Glass bottles is resulting in huge revenue loss and causing serious health hazards.

The beverage sector particularly alcohol and soft drinks industry have a complex scientific and mechanized system for washing the bottles to completely sanitize the bottles. But the second hand bottles reused for pharma liquids and tablets along with intravenous fluids (IV) and injectables are washed by intermediates and are very unhygienic and done in highly polluted environment. These bottles are never free from bacterial formations, said Manhor Lal, secretary, All India Glass Manufacturers Association.