Northeast Frontier Railway and IIT Guwahati Launch Biodegradable Bed-Roll Bags to Phase Out Plastic.

The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) and the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT-Guwahati) have joined forces to replace conventional plastic with biodegradable, compostable materials. A pilot was launched on India’s 79th Independence Day, deploying eco-friendly bed-roll bags across trains to foster sustainable rail services.

      - The partnership between NFR and IIT-Guwahati was formally unveiled on 15 August 2025, coinciding with India’s 79th Independence Day. Under the leadership of NFR General Manager Chetan Kumar Shrivastava and IIT-Guwahati Professor Vimal Katiyar, the initiative introduces green bed-roll bags made from bio-plastic developed at the institute’s in-house Research & Development centre.

      - In this pilot phase, approximately 40,000 biodegradable bags—compliant with ISO 17088 standards—are being distributed across 25 trains departing from Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Tripura, and Arunachal Pradesh. The bags decompose swiftly in compost, offering both convenience for passengers and an eco-sensitive alternative to plastic.

      - NFR has advanced its environmental stewardship with initiatives like electrification, solar energy, AI-based elephant protection, rainwater harvesting, bio-toilets, composting, afforestation, and green belt creation. It also established an inoculum facility at Kamakhya to recycle biodegradable waste and remake bed-roll bags, supporting a circular economy in railway operations.

Main Point :-   (i) Earlier, on 1 August 2025, NFR signed two pivotal Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs): one with the Pollution Control Board, Assam (PCBA), and M/s Kusum Udyog to transform Guwahati railway station into a 100 percent plastic-recycling hub; the other with IIT-Guwahati to introduce biodegradable bed-roll packaging in AC coaches, initially trialed on the Brahmaputra Mail (Kamakhya–New Delhi), before expanding across the NFR network.

      (ii) These MoUs were signed at NFR Headquarters in Maligaon, during an event chaired by GM Chetan Kumar Shrivastava, with senior officials, Divisional Railway Managers (DRMs), Chief Workshop Managers (CWMs), representatives from PCBA, IIT-Guwahati, and M/s Kusum Udyog joining, some via video conferencing. A six-member task force headed by the Station Superintendent, Guwahati, has been set up to drive the recycling hub initiative forward.

(iii) Together, these steps highlight NFR’s alignment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s "Transformation by Transportation" vision. The initiative not only merges cutting-edge academic research with ground-level implementation but also sets a benchmark for integrating sustainability into routine railway operations—reducing plastic waste, lowering carbon emissions, and conserving natural resources while enhancing passenger experience.