The issue of environmental protection has brought the consumers, the industry, and the government to a common platform where each has to play its own role. The government and legislatures are using their influence to reduce environmental and health hazards due to industrialization and to stimulate the development of cleaner technologies. However, the environment is under tremendous stress from rapid industrialization, unplanned urbanization and changing consumption patterns in the race to achieve better living standards. It is amply clear that regulatory actions by pollution control agencies alone cannot restore the environment to its pristine state. Pro-active and promotional roles should also be geared up in harmony with the overall environmental protection strategy. The time has come for consumers to take the lead in prompting manufacturers to adopt clean and eco-friendly technologies and environmentally-safe disposal of used products, along with preventive and mitigative approaches.
To increase consumer awareness, the Government of India launched the eco-labelling scheme known as `Ecomark’ in 1991 for easy identification of environment-friendly products. Any product which is made, used or disposed of in a way that significantly reduces the harm it would otherwise cause the environment could be considered as Environment-Friendly Product. Ecomark is a market based voluntary instrument to reduce environmental damage. The scheme was launched by the Ministry of Environment and Forests with the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) for labelling of environment-friendly products.
The criteria follow a cradle-to-grave approach, i.e. from raw material extraction, to manufacturing, and to disposal. The ‘Ecomark’ label is awarded to consumer goods which meet the specified environmental criteria and the quality requirements of Indian Standards. Any product with the Ecomark will be the right environmental choice.
The objective of the Eco-mark scheme
- 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.
- To assist consumers to become environmentally responsible in their daily lives by providing information to take account of environmental factors in their purchase decisions.
- To encourage citizens to purchase products which have less harmful environmental impacts.
- To improve the quality of the environment and to encourage the sustainable management of resources.
Eco-mark Logo:
An earthern pot has been chosen as the logo for the Ecomark scheme in India. The familiar earthern pot uses a renewable resource like earth, does not produce hazardous waste and consumes little energy in making. Its solid and graceful form represents both strength and fragility, which also characterizes the eco-system.
As a symbol, it puts across its environmental message. Its image has the ability to reach people and can help to promote a greater awareness of the need to be kind to the environment. The logo for the Ecomark Scheme, signifies that the product which carries it does the least damage to the environment.
Criteria for awarding Eco-mark
The criteria are based on the cradle-to-grave approach, i.e. from raw material extraction to manufacturing and to disposal. The basic criteria cover broad environmental levels and aspects but are specific at the product level. A product is examined in terms of the following main environmental impacts:
- that they have substantially less potential for pollution than other comparable products in production, usage and disposal.
- that they are recycled, recyclable, made from recycled products or bio- degradable, where comparable products are not;
- that they make significant contribution to saving non-renewable resources including non-renewable energy sources and natural resources compared with comparable products;
- 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.
Product General Requirements:
The product general requirements deal with the issues of compliance of the pollution control acts; raising environmental awareness among consumers etc., in addition to safety, quality and performance of the products.
Product Specific Requirements:
While determining the product-specific requirements, the following issues have been taken into account:
- production process including source of raw materials; use of natural resources; likely impact of the environment;
- energy conservation in the production of the product;
- disposal of the product and its container;
- utilization of “Waste” and recycled materials;
- suitability for recycling or packaging; and
- biodegradability
- effect and extent of waste arising from the production process;
The products which get the Eco-mark need to strictly follow the environmental requirements and also pass stringent quality control tests to keep their certification valid. The following conditions are evaluated before awarding the Eco-mark certification to a product:
The Government of India has notified the final criteria for the following 16 product categories:
- Soaps & Detergents,
- Paper
- Food Items
- Lubricating Oils
- Packaging Materials
- Architectural Paints and Powder Coatings
- Batteries
- Electrical/Electronic Goods
- Food Additives
- Wood Substitutes
- Cosmetics
- Aerosol Propellants
- Plastic Products
- Textiles
- Fire-extinguisher
- Leather
The Ecomark Scheme in India:
According to the study, since the inception of the scheme in our country, very few companies have been granted the label and of these the companies that have been using the label actively on their product is even less.
General awareness amongst the consumers and the industry about the Ecomark is very minimal. The government lacks schemes to make consumers and industry understand the importance of this scheme
Reasons:
- The industry belief that the use of ecomark will not provide it with any competitive advantage in the market.
- The feeling that the cost and complicated procedure of taking Ecomark are not justified by potential advantages in terms of increased profitability and market share.
- Manufacturers are required to pay for the application, testing, licensing fee and renewal costs involved in the certification. It increases production costs.
- The feeling that the linking of ecomark with BIS’s quality standards has significantly added to the cost and complexity of obtaining ecomark.
Recommendations:
The major recommendations include creating a market for products with Ecomark by the use of the government’s procurement policies giving preference to products with Ecomark, increase the involvement of non-government organizations (NGOs) and consumer groups in the generation of consumer awareness; to provide financial and technical support to industry to adopt environment-friendly technologies.