India’s Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change has amended its Plastic Waste Management Rules that were first introduced in 2016. The new amendments, set to be introduced as of the 1st of July 2025, add a new sub-rule to marking and labelling, requiring producers, importers, or brand owners to provide under rule 11.1, using new mediums.
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Scene from Patthargatti Road, Hyderabad India
Under rule 11, plastic carrier bags and multilayer packaging must feature information including the name and registration number of the manufacturer, which is generated by the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) centralised online portal. Additionally, carrier bags must also include information relating to their thickness, excluding carrier bags made of compostable plastics (these must comply with Indian Standard IS 17088:2008).
Rule changes include the following new mediums:
- A barcode or quick response (QR) code is printed on the plastic packaging.
- In the product information brochure.
- As a unique number displayed on-paco provided all provisions of rule 11 are fulfilled.
The CPCB must be notified by the producers, importers, or brand owners of which labelling method they will be using on their packaging. This information will be compiled onto its website and updated quarterly.
A selection of penalties will also be introduced when the Plastic Waste Management Rules are updated later this year. The addition of rule 19 allows for non-compliant individuals/organisations to be penalised, which is in line with section 15 of the Environmental Protection Act. Penalties that individuals may face when not compliant with the new rules include:
- An initial fine.
- An additional fine that will increase every day that the violation continues.
- For serious or continuing violations, the perpetrator could face jail time.
Tracking plastic waste throughout India
These new rules aid with tracking plastic waste in India and attempt to make industry players more responsible regarding the environmental impact of their products. This is in line with the country’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme.