An Indian PLA factory will commence production in October and has already secured government orders.
The PLA factory in Balrampur Bioyug, the PLA business unit of Balrampur Chini Mills (BCML), is expected to commence production in October 2026, with products officially rolling off the line from November 2026. This is India's first industrial-grade PLA factory.
Recently, BCML received its first formal institutional order from the Lucknow Military District Board (LCB), a breakthrough that marks a significant milestone in India's emerging bio-based materials ecosystem.
This order covers two sizes of compostable garbage bags, 300ml PLA bottles, 3D-printed compostable PLA pens, and PLA folders, all made from renewable bio-based PLA. This material is not only 100% compostable and has a low carbon footprint, but also produces no microplastic residue. Lucknow is the capital of Uttar Pradesh, India. The Lucknow Military Territory, covering 2,735 hectares, is managed by the Lucknow Military Territory Board. This board is a statutory body under the Directorate General of Defence Estates of the Ministry of Defence, with its offices located within the Lucknow Military Territory.
This procurement further demonstrates the Lucknow Military Territory Board's commitment to standardized and sustainable governance, making it one of the first defense-related agencies to formally integrate compostable polylactic acid (PLA) solutions into its daily operations. This order is also an important part of the board's sustainability plan, which has previously collaborated with the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur to promote waste-free, carbon-neutral ecosystems and actively participated in the national "Clean as a Service" movement.
It is worth noting that this order was signed before the Balrampur Sugar Mill's first domestically built industrialized PLA production facility in Khumpi, Uttar Pradesh, commenced operations-expected to begin in October 2026. This underscores the institution's recognition and confidence in indigenous bio-based innovative technologies. This initiative also builds upon the achievements of India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and its Defence Food Research Institute, which successfully developed India's first polylactic acid (PLA) water bottle in Mysore in September 2023.
