Under the new taxation scenario, the government has replaced all other taxes with one single Tax as GST which has 4 tier tax structures of 5%, 12%, 18% and 28%. The lowest tax slab has been given for the basic necessities and goes up for the items that are considered luxury and which is a threat to the society and environment. In the furniture industry, on the one side we have Plywood, MDF, HDF and other Particle Boards and on other side we have WPC Boards.
Both these class of materials have been proposed with different tax slab. Plywood and its likes products have been put in the bracket of 28% while 18% has been proposed on WPC boards. Considering all the information and awareness available for both items, we can easily understand that plywood is manufactured from Timber which comes from mainly Poplar and Safeda (eucalyptus) trees commercially grown by farmers. But the ALSTONE WPC is manufactured by wheat/rice husk mixed with PVC Plastic by using environment-friendly technology. WPC production will never cost a tree its life, unlike Plywood.
The government is well informed and hence it has proposed these taxes. It is a clear indication that we have to go for products that do not contribute in damaging our planet. ALSTONE WPC products are termite proof, waterproof, and fire retardant. These are Eco-friendly and green because it does not deplete the earth of its green cover and natural resources. It uses the waste material like rice/wheat husk and recyclable and re-useable material like PVC which will remain in the cycle forever. On the contrary the Plywood sector is of the view that plywood is an agro-based product which is manufactured from Poplar and Safeda trees. These tree farming has an adverse effect on water table reservoirs and their cutting reduces the green cover thus resulting into increasing pollution. Research has proved that:
That poplar extracts on an average of 2.40 hm (3) from the aquifer, i.e., approximately 18% of the average recharge of that area will not be available for human use. And for the Safeda tree, according to studies water yield from a bore-well is reduced by 35 to 42 percent when a eucalyptus plantation is situated within a one-km radius, and by 25 to 37 percent when the plantation is situated between 1 and 3 km.
We know water and air are our life essentials. Reducing green cover for timber will affect air quality and letting this type of farming going on for timber production will reduce our water table. Now we cannot ignore our concise, close our eyes to the present and the future conditions that are staring us.This is the time where we need to take a collective responsibility to save our planet by choosing those products like ALSTONE WPC that are green and sustainable. We have to think of our minds and take decisions that are right for us and our future generations to come.