CDA bans sale of products in PET bottles in Islamabad, shops sealed

Shops in Islamabad have been told to stop selling products packaged in PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles, the clear plastic used for most mineral water, soft drinks, juices and cooking oil. The order came as verbal directions from the office of the Islamabad chief commissioner and the chairman of the Capital Development Authority (CDA), took effect immediately, and was not preceded by a warning or a written notification, Business Recorder reported on Wednesday.

What has happened so far

• Enforcement has started. Local administration teams have sealed several retail outlets in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) for selling PET-packed products. No figure for the number of shops sealed, and no fine amounts, have been made public.
• No list of products. The directive as reported covers products packaged in PET bottles in general. No brand, size or product category has been named as exempt.
• No written order yet. Business Recorder found no notification or order number for the ban itself.

Why the industry says it is unlawful

Islamabad already has a law on plastic: the ICT Single-Use Plastics (Prohibition) Regulations, 2023. Critics say a blanket PET ban goes beyond those regulations and conflicts with them.

• The Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI) has written to Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi asking for the ban to be withdrawn. It proposed producer-funded collection, recycling infrastructure and recovery targets instead.
• The CoRe Alliance, a recycling industry group, asked the Board of Investment to get the ban lifted and to enforce the 2023 regulations as written.
• Beverage and packaging representatives say a blanket ban is not supported by science and puts thousands of jobs in the PET collection and recycling chain at risk.

What it means if you live or shop in Islamabad

Expect gaps on the shelves for bottled water and soft drinks in some shops in the coming days, especially smaller stores that cannot risk being sealed. Glass bottles, cans and refill stations are not covered by what has been reported. If your shop has been sealed, ask the inspecting officer for the written order and the law it is issued under; none has been published yet.

Rawalpindi shops, outside ICT, are not covered. We will update this story when the CDA or the ICT administration issues a written notification, or if the government withdraws the order.

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