Rules 10 explained: this guide covers what it means, who it applies to, the step-by-step process, documents required, fees, due dates and penalties in India — so you can stay compliant with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
Rule 10 says which standards compostable and biodegradable plastics must meet and how provisional certification works. Rule 11 says what every plastic package must print, from the producer's registration number to the label for recycled, compostable and biodegradable plastic. A 2025 amendment let the information be given in a QR code from 1 July 2025, and the 2026 amendment replaced rule 11(2) on recycled plastic labelling.
These Rules are current as amended up to the Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2026 (G.S.R. 237(E), 31 March 2026). Later amendments, CPCB guidelines and notifications should be checked. If you pack, import or sell branded goods in plastic and need your labels and certificates checked against these rules, our compliance documentation team can help.
Compostable plastics must conform to IS/ISO 17088:2021; biodegradable plastics to the standard notified by the BIS and certified by the CPCB (rule 10). Each plastic package must print the name and registration certificate number of the producer, importer or brand owner, with the further items in rule 11(1). From 1 July 2025 the information may instead be given by barcode or QR code, a brochure or a unique number (rule 11(1A)). Recycled plastic packaging must carry a recycled-content label conforming to IS 14534: 2023 (rule 11(2) as substituted in 2026).
Rule 10: compostable and biodegradable plastics
| Sub-rule | Requirement |
|---|---|
| 10(1) | The degree of degradability and degree of disintegration shall be determined as per the protocols of the Indian Standards listed in Schedule I |
| 10(2) | Compostable plastic materials shall conform to IS/ISO 17088:2021, as amended from time to time |
| 10(3) | Biodegradable plastics shall conform to the standard notified by the Bureau of Indian Standards and certified by the CPCB |
| 10(4) | Until that standard is notified, biodegradable plastics shall conform to tentative Indian Standard IS 17899 T:2022 |
| 10(5) | As a transitory measure the CPCB may issue a provisional certificate where an interim test report is submitted for an ongoing test covering the first component of IS 17899 T:2022 (the items of Table 1 or Table 2 named in the rule); the proviso gives its validity and the date after which production or import of biodegradable plastics is to cease |
| 10(6) | The interim test report must come from the Central Institute of Petrochemical Engineering and Technology, a laboratory recognised under the BIS Laboratory Recognition Scheme, 2020, or a laboratory accredited by the NABL, certifying biodegradation in line with IS 17899 T:2022 |
| 10(7) | The BIS shall specify separate colour or marking for plastic packaging and commodities made from compostable or biodegradable plastics |
Schedule I lists the Indian Standard test protocols that rule 10(1) refers to, nine in all, covering aerobic and anaerobic biodegradability in an aqueous medium, controlled composting conditions, high-solids anaerobic digestion, soil and degree of disintegration. The proviso to rule 10(5) prints its dates as "30th June 2024" and "31st March, 2024" after the 2023 amendment (G.S.R. 318(E)) substituted 2024 for 2023 in both places; those dates have passed, so check the CPCB's current position before relying on any provisional certificate.
Rule 10(6) carries two provisos. Where testing of biodegradable plastic began before a laboratory was registered and the report conforms to IS 17899 T:2022, the CPCB shall ask for re-testing and permit production or use until the report is received, subject to a bank guarantee equal to the environmental compensation leviable under rule 18; the bank guarantee is forfeited if the result does not conform. These provisos were added in 2024 (G.S.R. 201(E)).
Rule 11(1): what each package must print
Each plastic package must contain the following information, printed in English:
| Clause | Package type | Information |
|---|---|---|
| (a) | Rigid plastic packaging (with effect from 1 July 2024), multilayer flexible packaging with more than one layer of different plastics including sachets and pouches, and multi-layered plastic packaging | Name and registration certificate number of the producer, importer or brand owner, generated through the centralised online portal specified in Schedule II |
| (b) | Single-layer flexible packaging including sachets or pouches, plastic sheets or like, covers made of plastic sheet, carry bags | The same name and number, and thickness |
| (c) | Plastic sheet or like used for packaging, and plastic packaging and carry bags and commodities made of compostable plastic (with effect from 1 January 2025 for the name and number) | Name and registration number, and the number of the CPCB certificate issued under rule 4(1)(ha) |
| (d) | Plastic sheet or like used for packaging, plastic packaging, carry bags and commodities made of biodegradable plastic | Name and certificate number issued under rule 4(1)(ha) |
There are three provisos. The sub-rule does not apply to plastic packaging covered under rule 26 of the Legal Metrology Packaged Commodities Rules, 2011, or to cases where it is technically not feasible to print the information, as per the BIS guidelines named in the rule. Such packaging must be approved by the CPCB. And the relevant information must be printed on the packaging that holds together individual units of goods or the individual units of packaging.
Rule 11(1A): QR code and other options from 1 July 2025
The Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2025 (G.S.R. 73(E), 23 January 2025) inserted rule 11(1A). A producer, importer or brand owner may, with effect from 1 July 2025, provide the information required by sub-rule (1):
- (a) in a barcode or Quick Response code printed on the plastic packaging;
- (b) in the product information brochure; or
- (c) by printing on the packaging the unique number issued under any law for the time being in force, where the provisions of sub-rule (1) are required to be fulfilled before such a number is issued.
The producer, importer or brand owner shall inform the CPCB of the details of the barcode or QR code, brochure or unique number, and the CPCB shall publish on its website the list of those who have done so, updated every quarter. The sub-rule says "may": the option is permissive, so printing on the pack remains available.
Rule 11(2): recycled plastic labelling, as substituted in 2026
The 2026 amendment (G.S.R. 237(E), 31 March 2026) substituted sub-rule (2). It now reads: "Each recycled plastic packaging or commodity shall conform to the Indian Standard: IS 14534: 2023 titled 'Plastics—Recovery and Recycling of Plastics Waste—Guidelines', and shall bear the label and marking as shown below indicating the use of recycled plastic content in accordance with the said standard, and shall also comply with the applicable marking and labelling requirements specified by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, in respect of food contact application."
The earlier text required a label "recycled having of recycled plastic" and a mark; the new text keeps the mark and note on resin codes but ties the label to the Indian Standard and adds the FSSAI food-contact marking requirements. The mark's drawing and the resin note (PET, HDPE, V, LDPE, PP, PS and Other) sit below the sub-rule in the notification.
Rule 11(3) and (4): compostable and biodegradable labels
- Compostable. Each plastic packaging or commodity made from compostable plastics shall bear the label "compostable only under industrial composting" and conform to IS/ISO 17088:2021.
- Biodegradable. Each plastic packaging or commodity made from biodegradable plastic shall bear the label "Biodegradable in only in the ".
Who is affected
Producers of plastic packaging, importers and brand owners, manufacturers of compostable and biodegradable products, packers, converters and laboratories that issue test reports. Compostable and biodegradable manufacturers carry the heaviest load because they need CPCB certification under rule 4(1)(ha), conformity with a standard and a label that states the condition of degradation.
Example
Bloom Foods Private Limited sells snacks in a multi-layered pouch. Its compliance team checks rule 11(1)(a): the pouch must show the company's name and registration certificate number generated through the portal. After 1 July 2025 the company chooses to print a QR code that carries the information, and informs the CPCB of the QR details as the first proviso to rule 11(1A) requires. For a new trial pack made of compostable material, it adds the label "compostable only under industrial composting" and the CPCB certificate number, and checks the film against IS/ISO 17088:2021.
Need help with plastic packaging labels?
Labels, certificates and registration numbers have to match across every pack in the range. Our compliance documentation team can help you build a label checklist by packaging type and keep the certificate and QR intimation records ready for an inspection.
Key takeaways
- Compostable plastics follow IS/ISO 17088:2021; biodegradable plastics follow the BIS standard certified by the CPCB, with IS 17899 T:2022 as the interim standard.
- Rule 11(1) requires the registration name and number, thickness for some formats and the CPCB certificate number for compostable and biodegradable products.
- From 1 July 2025 a QR code, a brochure or a unique number may carry the information, with intimation to the CPCB (rule 11(1A)).
- Recycled plastic packaging must conform to IS 14534: 2023 and carry the recycled-content label and FSSAI food-contact marking (rule 11(2), 2026).
- Compostable items carry "compostable only under industrial composting"; biodegradable items state the days and environment.
Read next
- Rules 1 to 3: application and definitions
- Rules 8 and 9: waste generators and producers, importers and brand owners
- Plastic Waste Management Rules: the amendments from 2018 to 2026
- Use of recycled plastics in food packaging
Disclaimer: Based on the environment rules, guidelines and notifications named above as published in the Gazette of India, read with every amendment notified up to 3 October 2026 that the article names (consolidated reading texts from the CPCB 2021 compilation and the Goa State Pollution Control Board 2025 compilation were checked against the amending notifications), as consulted on 3 October 2026. Later amendments, CPCB guidelines, State Board orders and fees should be checked. This article is general information, not legal advice; check the official text before acting.