The Centre on Tuesday notified the Ecomark Rules. It will replace the Ecomark Scheme of 1991. The scheme relates to labelling of eco-friendly products.
The Rules were notified to keep it in line with existing sustainability and environmentally friendly practices and with the Environment Ministry’s Mission LIFE (Lifestyle for Environment), which promotes sustainable consumption. The scheme will be implemented by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in partnership with the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). A product gets Ecomark label if it reduces pollution by minimising or eliminating the generation of waste and, among other things, avoids such materials which has adverse impacts on the environment.
After this notification, all the products manufactured shall meet the requirements of Indian Standards of BIS pertaining to safety, quality and performance such as skin powder, tooth powder, shampoo and soap, shaving creams, lipsticks, etc. Further, manufacturers would label its cosmetics as environment friendly products and shall not be manufactured from any carcinogenic ingredients. For developing criteria for granting Ecomark to a product, the government has also laid down a detailed consideration process.
The process include source of raw material, use of natural resources, environmental impact, effect and extent of emissions or waste arising from the production process, disposal of the product and its packaging, utilisation of waste and recycled materials, suitability.