Nivedita Saxena, Research Associate <\/b><\/p>\n
\u2018Eco-labelling\u2019 is a voluntary method of environmental performance certification and labelling that is practised around the world. The article describes the Indian ecolabelling scheme- ECOMARK. Ecomark is a voluntary non-binding eco-labelling scheme which was constituted by the Government of India in 1991 for easy identification of environment- friendly consumer products.\u00a0 The ecomark scheme was introduced way ahead of its time and therefore did not yield the expected results. The article presents the working structure and evaluation criteria for products under the scheme, along with the reasons for its failure in Indian context. Also at the end, recommendations from various scholars are mentioned for the better furtherance of the scheme.<\/p>\n
\u2018Ecolabelling\u2019 is a voluntary method of environmental performance certification and labelling that is practised around the world. An \u2018ecolabel\u2019 is a label which identifies overall, proven environmental preference of a product or service within a specific product\/ service category ((Definitions by Global Ecolabelling Network, Central Pollution control board is a member of\u00a0 GEN, Available at http:\/\/www.globalecolabelling.net\/what_is_ecolabelling\/index.htm<\/a>)). They are used to identify the overall environmental preference of a product or a service.<\/p>\n Many manufacturers and service providers themselves adopt different types of \u2018green\u2019 symbols that lack authenticity and credibility. In contrast, an ecolabel is awarded by an impartial third- party in relation to certain products or services that are independently determined to meet environmental criteria. Ecolabelling was first introduced in 1977 by Germany through the Blue Angel Scheme, followed by Canada\u2019s Environmental Choice Programme in 1988.<\/p>\n Ecomark is a voluntary non-binding eco- labelling scheme which was constituted by the Government of India in 1991 for easy identification of environment- friendly consumer products, to provide an incentive for manufacturers and importers to reduce adverse environmental impact of products & to reward genuine initiatives by companies to reduce adverse environmental impact of their products. The scheme also has objectives of assisting consumers to become environmentally responsible in their daily lives by providing information to take account of environmental factors in their purchase decisions, encouraging them to purchase products which have less harmful environmental impacts and thus ultimately improving the quality of the environment and encouraging the sustainable management of resources.\u00a0 This made India the first among the developing countries to make an ecolabelling scheme a part of its environmental policy ((According to information available on http:\/\/www.blauer-engel.de\/en\/blauer_engel\/whats_behind_it\/national_eco-labels_worldwide.php<\/a>)). The activism of the Minister of Environment and Forests, Maneka Gandhi in 1990-91 was one of the major factors behind constitution of the Scheme.<\/p>\n The scheme operates on a national basis and provide accreditation and labelling for household and other consumer products which meet certain environmental criteria along with quality requirements of the Indian Standards for the Product [quality requirements of Bureau of Indian Standards] ((Ministry of Environment & Forest, Department of Environment, Forest & Wildlife, Resolution, 20th<\/sup> February, 1991. Available at http:\/\/envfor.nic.in\/legis\/others\/ecomark.html<\/a>)). The label is awarded for a minimum period of one year and can roll forward annually. An earthen pot has been chosen as the logo for the Ecomark scheme in India ((For the symbolism of the logo refer to the Central Pollution Control Board website http:\/\/www.cpcb.nic.in\/ecomark_logo.php<\/a>)).<\/p>\n Operational Structure<\/p>\n The Ecomark scheme operated through a three-tier system-<\/p>\n Evaluation criteria<\/p>\n The products are to be examined in terms of the following main environmental impacts:<\/p>\n (a) That they have substantially less potential for pollution than other comparable products in production, usage and disposal.<\/p>\n (b) That they are recycled, recyclable, made from recycled products or biodegradable, where comparable products are not.<\/p>\n (c) That they make significant contribution to saving non-renewable resources, including non-renewable energy sources and natural resources, compared with comparable products.<\/p>\n (d) That the product must contribute to a reduction of the adverse primary criteria which has the highest environmental impact associated with the use of the product, and which will be specifically set for each of the product categories.<\/p>\n Any product which is made, use or disposed of in a way that significantly reduces the harm it would otherwise cause the environment could be considered as an Environment- Friendly product.\u00a0 Thus any product with the Ecomark will be the right environmental choice for the consumers.<\/p>\n Product categories and Procedure for Grant of an ECOMARK<\/p>\n There are 16 product categories currently under the scheme including the likes of soaps, paper, cosmetics, batteries, leather etc. ((For the list of all the products notified by the Government of India and the application procedure refer http:\/\/www.cpcb.nic.in\/criteria_ecomark.php<\/a>)). \u00a0India is one of the few countries where foods are also Eco-Labelled ((According to information available on<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.blauer-engel.de\/en\/blauer_engel\/whats_behind_it\/national_eco-labels_worldwide.php<\/a>. Last visited on)). The ecomark Scheme conflicts with some areas under the \u2018Agmark\u2019 Scheme for agricultural and allied commodities. The first Ecomark was given to a Godrej product ‘Ezee’ detergent in 1994. However, the company was taken over by another company which decided to discontinue the label usage considering it to be against their corporate philosophy ((According to article titled \u2018Ecomark scheme finds few takers in industry\u2019 by Shruti Srivastava in Bussiness Standard on August 16, 2007, Available at http:\/\/www.business-standard.com\/article\/economy-policy\/ecomark-scheme-finds-few-takers-in-industry-107081601086_1.html<\/a>)).<\/p>\n \u00a0The procedure for grant of a license by BIS under the Ecomark scheme is the same as that of grant of license by BIS under its own product Certification Marks scheme. Along with the application form a copy of the consent or environmental clearance certificate from the concerned State Pollution Control Board is also to be submitted. The inspection of every applicant\u2019s production site by the implementing authority .i.e. the BIS was a unique feature of the Indian Scheme.<\/p>\n Reasons of Failure<\/p>\n In spite of the wide range of product categories, there were very limited applications for the Ecomark label. Currently only 12 manufacturers of various products have applied and got ecomark license ((According to the report on \u2018Why was India\u2019s Ecomark Scheme Unsuccessful?\u2019 submitted to the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) in 2006 by Mr.Pradeep S Mehta, For reference See Annex I of the Report available at http:\/\/www.cuts-citee.org\/pdf\/RREPORT07-01.pdf<\/a>)). The various reasons given for its failure are ((According to the report on \u2018Why was India\u2019s Ecomark Scheme Unsuccessful?\u2019 submitted to the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) in 2006 by Mr.Pradeep S Mehta, \u00a0the Report is available at http:\/\/www.cuts-citee.org\/pdf\/RREPORT07-01.pdf<\/a> also see Kopekar, S.S. & Raman, N.S., \u201c Ecomark Scheme as a Pre-requisite for strategic Environmental Assessment in India\u201d Publishen in International Journal Of Pure and Applied Bioscience ISSN: 2320-7051, Available at http:\/\/www.ijpab.com\/form\/2013%20Volume%201,%20issue%204\/IJPAB-2013-1-4-51-62.pdf<\/a>)):<\/p>\n Recommendations<\/p>\n Few recommendations for taking the scheme further, as put forward by various scholars are as under:<\/p>\n Nivedita Saxena, Research Associate \u2018Eco-labelling\u2019 is a voluntary method of environmental performance certification and labelling that is practised around the world. The article describes the Indian ecolabelling scheme- ECOMARK. Ecomark…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[93],"tags":[1071,1074,1128,1370],"class_list":["post-4637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-environmental-law","tag-ecolabelling","tag-ecomark","tag-environment-friendly-product","tag-green-symbol","no-post-thumbnail","clearfix","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nEcoMark Scheme<\/h2>\n
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