Lok Sabha Question No. 4064 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-03-28
Subject: Registration for Extended Producer Liability
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Sanjay Seth, Vishnu Dayal Ram

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 4064

TO BE ANSWERED ON 28.03.2022

## Registration for Extended Producer Liability

4064.   SHRI SANJAY SETH:

SHRI VISHNU DAYAL RAM:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a)  the  key  highlights  of  the  recently  released  Extended  Producer  Liability  Guidelines  for Plastic Packaging;
- (b) the details of entities to which new guidelines are applicable to;
- (c)  the  details  of  the  producers  and  brand  owners  who  have  complied  with  the  instruction regarding registration to complete the Extended Producer Responsiblity (EPR) as per the Plastic Waste Management Rules, State wise details thereof particularly in Jharkhand?
- (d) the details of the penalty levied under the said guidelines; and
- (e) the manner in which the online system to be established by the Central Pollution Control Board will help dealing with plastic pollution?

## ANSWER

MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE

(SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

- (a)  The  key  highlights  of  the  Guidelines  on  Extended  Producers  Responsibility  (EPR)  on plastic packaging notified on 16 th February 2022 are (i) mandatory registration of Producers, Importers,  and  Brand  Owners  (PIBOs)  and  Plastic  Waste  Processors  (PWPs)  through centralized  on  line  portal,  (ii)  coverage  of  four  categories  of  plastic  packaging  viz.  rigid, flexible,  multi-layered  plastic  packaging,  and  compostable  plastic  packaging,  (iii)  clearly defined targets for EPR, (iv) mandatory targets for reuse of rigid plastic packaging, minimum level of recycling of plastic waste and use of recycled plastic content in plastic packaging, (v) centralized online portal to support implementation of EPR, (vi) provision sale and purchase of  surplus  EPR  certificates,  (vii)levy  of  environmental  compensation  for  non-fulfilment  of EPR obligations, (viii) provision for verification, audit and monitoring of obligated entities.
- (b) The obligated entities under these guidelines are producers of plastic packaging, importers of  all  imported  plastic  packaging  and  /  or  plastic  packaging  of  imported  products,  brand owners  including  online  platforms/marketplaces  and  supermarkets/retail  chains  other  than those, which are micro and small enterprises (as per the criteria of Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Government of India) and plastic waste processors.

(c) Three hundred and eleven brand owners and four producers, operating in more than two states or union territories, have been issued registration till date by Central Pollution Control Board, as per Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016. The list is available on the website of CPCB.  As  per  information  provided  by  Jharkhand  State  Pollution  Control  Board,  one producer  is  registered  under  Plastic  Waste  Management  Rules,  2016,  in  the  state  of Jharkhand.

(d) No environmental compensation has been levied for any shortfall in fulfillment of EPR targets  under the Guidelines notified on 16 th February 2022, as the Annual Returns for the year 2021-2022, will be filed by PIBOs till 30 th June 2022.

(e) The centralized on-line EPR portal developed by CPCB will be used for registration of PIBOs and PWPs, generation and transaction of EPR certificates, monitoring of transaction between PIBOs and PWPs, facilitate filing of annual returns, allows levy of environmental compensation.  The centralized on-line portal will allow effective implementation of EPR on plastic packaging, thus tackling plastic pollution through better plastic waste management.

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