India now runs eight parallel EPR streams, each with its own rules, portal workflow and certificate market. If you manufacture, import or brand products in India, at least one applies to you. Most mid-sized companies we assess are obligated in three and registered in one.
The eight streams
- Plastic packaging: PWM Rules 2016 with EPR Guidelines 2022, categories I to IV, the largest and most enforced stream
- E-waste: E-Waste (Management) Rules 2022, with recycler-generated certificates
- Batteries: Battery Waste Management Rules 2022, covering portable to EV batteries
- Waste tyres: H&OW Amendment Rules 2022
- Used oil: H&OW Amendment Rules 2023, live from FY 2024-25
- End-of-life vehicles: Environment Protection (ELV) Rules 2025, live since 1 April 2025
- Non-ferrous metal scrap: H&OW Amendment Rules 2025, live from 1 April 2026
- Construction and demolition waste: Environment (C&D) Waste Rules 2025, live from 1 April 2026
What compliance actually involves
Registration on the CPCB portal is the visible tip. Underneath sit target computation from category-wise sales data, annual returns, credit or certificate procurement from registered processors, and audit readiness. Each stream calculates targets differently, which is where most spreadsheets break.
The enforcement reality
CPCB and State Pollution Control Boards levy Environmental Compensation on unfulfilled targets, computed per tonne and routinely backdated. Marketplaces now delist sellers who cannot show registration. The window for quiet non-compliance has closed.
Where to start
Get an applicability map before buying anything. One review across your entities, products and streams tells you what you owe, what you have already over- or under-complied with, and what it will cost. That map is what we build in an obligation review.