16 Oct 2024
The Indian government rolled out new guidelines to control greenwashing and deceptive environmental claims.
After Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi accused air purifier manufacturers of false claims about their products, the Indian government announced its plans to conduct market surveillance to evaluate the performance of these products against the company claims.
Bureau of Indian Standards will examine their performance with existing air filter quality control orders. The Centre has introduced fresh guidelines to identify greenwashing and false eco-friendly claims by companies.
All claims like ‘100% recyclable’ and ‘net zero emissions’ must be accompanied by verifiable evidence, independent research, and third-party verification. All material details must be accessible to the end user through QR codes and URLs. The guidelines also mandate companies to use consumer-friendly language explaining the sustainability or eco-friendliness of the product and whether the claim is about the product, its manufacturing process, packaging, or disposal.
The Consumer Affairs Ministry’s decision will be final in case of ambiguity or dispute.