Published: 23 Jun 2026
Regulatory UpdateDraft for Public Consultation — June 2026
Draft Ecomark Criteria 2026: A New Era of Green Compliance for Indian Industry
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has put out draft amendments to the Ecomark criteria for public consultation under the Ecomark Rules, 2024. For paints, batteries, paper products, and wood substitutes, sustainability is moving from nice-to-have to non-negotiable.
Background
What Is Ecomark?
Ecomark is India’s eco-labelling scheme. It identifies products that meet both quality and environmental performance standards. To qualify, a product must first comply with applicable BIS standards or Quality Control Orders (QCOs). Then it must satisfy the environmental criteria laid out under the Ecomark Rules, 2024. The revised framework shows where India is headed — circular economy principles, resource efficiency, pollution control, and responsible manufacturing are all converging into a single compliance architecture.
Category-by-Category Changes
What’s Changing Across the Four Categories
Category 01
Paints, Varnishes & Powder Coatings
Strict VOC limits, heavy metal bans, PFAS/PCB restrictions, mandatory ISO 14001, and recyclable packaging. Paint manufacturers should expect real reformulation work and supply chain reviews before qualifying.
Category 02
Batteries
EPR registration, mercury and cadmium limits, recycled lead content requirements, and mandatory ISO 14001. Battery manufacturers need stronger EPR systems and documented recycling processes to stay eligible.
Category 03
Paper & Paperboard Products
Recycled fibre sourcing, chlorine-free bleaching, Life Cycle Assessment requirements, and online continuous effluent monitoring. Paper manufacturers should plan investment in wastewater treatment and sustainability reporting.
Category 04
Wood Substitutes, Furniture Panels & Engineered Wood
Certified forestry sourcing, formaldehyde emission limits, raw material traceability, and LCA reporting. Plywood, MDF, HDF, particle board, and furniture manufacturers may need to rethink sourcing and chemical formulations.
Paints, Varnishes & Powder Coatings
Key Requirements Under the Draft Criteria
Batteries
Key Requirements Under the Draft Criteria
Paper & Paperboard Products
Key Requirements Under the Draft Criteria
Wood Substitutes & Engineered Wood
Key Requirements Under the Draft Criteria
The Bigger Picture
Patterns Across All Four Categories
Circular Economy
Recycled content, waste recovery, product recyclability, and Extended Producer Responsibility feature prominently across all four categories — not as optional extras but as baseline requirements.
Chemical Safety
The criteria clamp down hard on PFAS, heavy metals, formaldehyde, hazardous preservatives, and persistent organic pollutants — aligning India’s Ecomark with global chemical safety standards.
Transparency & EMS
ISO 14001 certification, LCA data, QR code disclosures, and OCEMS monitoring point to a clear push for documented environmental governance — not just compliance on paper.
This revised framework signals something bigger than a tweak to an eco-label. The government is turning Ecomark into a full sustainability certification system — one that lines up with global ESG and circular economy standards. Manufacturers who get ahead of these requirements can stand out both at home and in export markets.
Action Plan
What Your Organisation Should Do Right Now
How Omega QMS Can Help
Advisory Across the Full Compliance Cycle
Is Your Organisation Ready for the New Ecomark Criteria?
Omega QMS tracks developments across BIS, QCOs, Ecomark, EPR, environmental compliance, and sustainability regulation. We help manufacturers with regulatory interpretation, gap assessments, compliance planning, policy representations, and certification strategy.
Reach us at info@globalomega.com or globalomega.com/contact
Source: Draft Ecomark Criteria for Public Consultation, MoEFCC Notification dated 8 June 2026.