Packaging rule · India · EPR
EPR Guidelines for plastic packaging (PWM Rules Schedule II)
Extended producer responsibility (EPR) rule covering plastic in India, set by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; Central Pollution Control Board. Applies since 16 February 2022.
The rule
Recorded from the official source named below. Rates and dates are as the source states them on the date it was consulted.
- Jurisdiction
- India
- Authority
- Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; Central Pollution Control Board
- Rule type
- EPR
- Materials
- Plastic
- Status
- In force Enacted
- Adopted or published
- 16 February 2022
- Applies from
- 16 February 2022
From the source“in its fourth amendment to the Plastic Waste Management Rules, dated February 16, 2022 … CPCB has developed the Centralized EPR Portal for Plastic Packaging https://eprplastic.cpcb.gov.in”
Official source NGT: CPCB reply in OA 1179 of 2024 (Hariyali Welfare Society v. Union of India)Official (government or regulator) · consulted 13 October 2026
Key dates
Adopted or published 4 years and 7 months ago
Applies from 4 years and 7 months ago
Source consulted by the SPI team today
What it means
SPI analysis Our reading of the official source above. Not legal advice; always rely on the official text.
SPI summary
Guidelines on Extended Producer Responsibility for plastic packaging were notified as Schedule II of the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 by the fourth amendment of 2022. Producers, importers and brand owners register and file returns on CPCB's centralised EPR portal (eprplastic.cpcb.gov.in).
In practice
India's plastic packaging EPR runs through Schedule II of the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, inserted by G.S.R. 133(E) of 16 February 2022. Producers, importers and brand owners register on CPCB's centralised portal, are given category-wise EPR targets based on packaging they place on the market, and settle them with certificates from registered plastic waste processors. Brand owners, converters and importers of packed goods each carry their own obligations, and shortfalls attract environmental compensation.
Who is in scope
- Producers of plastic packaging (Schedule II, clause 4, per the 2022 text annexed by CPCB)
- Importers of plastic packaging or of goods packed in plastic packaging
- Brand owners, including online platforms, marketplaces, supermarkets and retail chains
- Plastic waste processors, who register and file returns on the same portal
- Packaging in Category I (rigid), II (flexible), III (multilayer), IV (compostable) and V (biodegradable, per the 2025 CPCB reply)
Who is not
- Brand owners that are micro or small enterprises, per the 2025 CPCB reply
- Packaging certified as fully biodegradable without microplastic or chemical residue is outside the targets under clause 7.8 of the 2022 text
What to do and by when
- NowCheck that each Indian entity (producer, importer, brand owner) is registered on eprplastic.cpcb.gov.in and in the right category.
- 30 June 2027Prepare the 2026-27 annual return, with category-wise tonnage and certificates bought; 30 June is the producer, importer and brand owner deadline in the 2022 text.
- NowMap multilayer packs by total weight, since CPCB states EPR targets for multilayer packaging apply to the complete weight.
- NowBudget for rising recycling obligations, which reach 80% for Category I and 60% for Categories II and III from 2027-28.
Related rules
- PR-IN-002 Recycled content in plastic packaging (PWM Rules Schedule II, revised 2026)
Recycled-content obligations sit in paragraph 7 of the same Schedule II and are filed through the same portal. - PR-IN-003 Reuse targets for rigid plastic packaging (PWM Rules Schedule II, revised 2026)
Brand-owner reuse targets for rigid packaging, also in Schedule II paragraph 7. - PR-IN-004 Ban on identified single-use plastic items
Same Plastic Waste Management Rules; bans on listed single-use items sit alongside EPR. - PR-PH-001 Extended Producer Responsibility Act of 2022 (RA 11898)
Philippine EPR also sets recovery targets on a plastic packaging footprint.
Where the record is unclear
- SPI has not yet confirmed the dates and statistics shown on the CPCB portal.
- Whether medium enterprises are exempt as brand owners differs between the two CPCB documents consulted.
- The 2022 CPCB affidavit quotes 30 April for annual returns while the annexed gazette text says 30 June; later changes were not checked.
Sources for this note
- NGT: CPCB reply in OA 1179 of 2024 (Hariyali Welfare Society v. Union of India), filed 28 April 2025 Consulted 13 October 2026
- NGT: CPCB reply affidavit in OA 22 of 2022 (Southern Zone), 4 May 2022, annexing G.S.R. 133(E) of 16 February 2022 (EPR Guidelines, Schedule II) Consulted 13 October 2026
- CPCB: Centralised EPR Portal for Plastic Packaging (landing page; content requires JavaScript) Consulted 13 October 2026
- MoEFCC Gazette G.S.R. 237(E), 31 March 2026, Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2026, hosted by Maharashtra Pollution Control Board Consulted 13 October 2026
Note written by the SPI team on 13 October 2026.
Where it sits in the tracker
- One of 4 packaging rules we track in India, of which 1 are EPR rules.
- In all, 25 EPR rules are tracked across 15 jurisdictions. Compare them below
Company profiles that map to this rule
Companies whose SPI profile lists this rule in its regulatory exposure, based on where they report selling. Not company-reported.
Change history
Sourced: an SPI analyst recorded the facts above from the official source. A second SPI team member has not re-checked it yet. Every change is logged here.
Changed: effective date, rate note
Verified by a second SPI team member
Added to the tracker
Spotted an error? Write to sales@strategicpackaginginsights.com quoting PR-IN-001 and the source. Corrections are logged in this history.
EPR rules elsewhere
The same type of rule for the same materials in other jurisdictions, by the date it applies.
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