India EPR fake certificates
- The record does not name which of my species, waters, soils or forests were harmed.
India's plastic packaging system lets brands meet recycling duties by buying certificates. In October 2023 the central and state pollution control boards identified about 700,000 fake certificates, according to the Centre for Science and Environment.
Reported by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE): the number is 38 times the certificate-generating capacity of the recyclers concerned; found October 2023.
Status As of September 2026: CSE reported EPR credits covering 13–14% of waste management cost; no collection of the 355 crore rupee penalty is stated.
- Brands obtaining certificates cheaply, per CSE — Compliance at a low price; sellers of fake certificates Centre for Science and Environment
- Municipalities and waste collectors — EPR credits covered 13 to 14% of management cost (CSE) Down To Earth
What happened
India's extended producer responsibility (EPR) rules for plastic packaging require brands that put packaging on the market to obtain recycling certificates for the plastic they sell. The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a Delhi research and advocacy group, described the system in a report published on 29 October 2024.
According to CSE, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and state pollution control boards identified about 700,000 fake EPR certificates in October 2023. CSE reported that this was 38 times the certificate-generating capacity of the recyclers concerned.
CSE reported that the boards imposed an EPR penalty of 355 crore rupees. The CSE material does not say whether the penalty was collected.
CSE also reported that cement kilns and other co-processing plants declared far more plastic processed than their capacity, and that virgin plastic producers do not appear on the EPR portal. Packaging placed on the market was put at about 8 million tonnes a year.
In a later study reported by Down To Earth in August 2026, CSE found that for the town of Dharamshala an EPR credit sold for 1 to 1.25 rupees per kg while the municipal cost of managing the waste was up to 9.15 rupees per kg, a coverage of 13 to 14% of the cost.
- 2022EPR rules for plastic packaging in force; road construction, waste-to-energy, waste-to-oil and cement co-processing are classed as end-of-life disposal for non-recyclable plastic and sit outside the recycling target.
- 2023CPCB and state boards identify about 700,000 fake EPR certificates (October).
- 2024CSE report on the EPR system published (29 October); Down To Earth coverage (30 October).
- 2026CSE study on who pays for plastic packaging waste management reported by Down To Earth (August): credit prices cover 13–14% of management cost.
How it looked
Shown
- EPR certificates as the proof that brands have paid for recycling of the plastic they put on the market, under a “polluter pays” design.India's EPR system, as described by CSE · Centre for Science and Environment
Recorded
- About 700,000 fake EPR certificates identified by CPCB and state boards, October 2023; 38 times the recyclers' certificate-generating capacity (CSE).
- EPR penalty of 355 crore rupees; collection status not stated in the CSE material.
- Co-processing declarations of 335.4 million tonnes against a stated capacity of 11.4 million tonnes (CSE).
- Virgin plastic producers do not appear on the EPR portal (CSE).
- Dharamshala: EPR credit 1 to 1.25 rupees per kg; management cost up to 9.15 rupees per kg; coverage 13 to 14%; 66% of registered packaging is flexible (CSE, 2026).
In court and with insurers
Lawsuits and rulings
- 2023Outcome not on recordINR crore 355m EPR penaltyCPCB EPR penaltyCentral Pollution Control Board · Administrative · Central Pollution Control Board → Not named in the material read
CSE reported an EPR penalty of 355 crore rupees; whether it was collected is not stated. Centre for Science and Environment
Insurers
What nature saw
Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.
What we don't know
Nature
- Not measured Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.
Court
- Unclear CPCB EPR penalty: outcome not on record.
Figures
- Insufficient Coprocessing declared mt: Declared by co-processing plants against a capacity of 11.4 Mt (CSE); see unknown.
Record
- Unclear Whether the 355 crore rupee penalty was collected: not stated.
- Insufficient The co-processing declaration reported by CSE (335.4 million tonnes against 11.4 million tonnes of capacity) is larger than the 23.9 million tonnes of packaging reported as placed on the market since 2022; the unit of the declared figure was not verified.
- None on record Which brands or recyclers held the fake certificates: not named in the material read.
Did the harm stop?
Not stated in the material read.
Who paid?
CSE reported that EPR credit prices covered 13 to 14% of the municipal cost of managing plastic packaging waste in its Dharamshala example.
Sources
Press and investigations
- 700k fake certificates, major polluters missing (CSE report)Down To Earth · 2024-10-30
- Who pays the cost of managing plastic packaging waste in India, asks new CSE studyDown To Earth · 2026-08
- India EPR guidelines for plastic packagingNet Zero Compare · 2022–2026
Communities and civil society
- Is the polluter really paying in India's plastic packaging waste management ecosystem?Centre for Science and Environment · 2024-10-29
Connected cases
- India fly ash utilisation and the Singrauli ash dam breach India · 2020–2026
- Central Pollution Control Board (India) (Public authority) — here: Regulator that identified the fake certificates; there: Pollution regulator; ash data