Back in early July, talks about prohibiting the importation of masterbatch (MB)into Ethiopia, the chemical used for coloring plastic bottles, arose before finally getting approved in October, 2022.
All the operators in the bottled water industry in Ethiopia have been dying their products blue as far as memory can serve. Most probably inspired by the decline of the country’s foreign reserve, the relevant government bodies recommended the banning of the chemical’s importation seeing it as both unnecessary and potentially harmful to health.
The Ethiopian Beverage Manufacturing Industries Association was quick to get on board, as companies using MB to colorize their plastic bottle at least have to allocate up to USD 40,000 for the import of the item. As most of the 109 manufacturers engaged in this industry are members of the association, its prime time we get used to the new look.
