What must be printed on plastic packaging in India under the packaging rules, and from which date for rigid and compostable packs?
Rule 11(1), as substituted in October 2023, says plastic packaging prints, in English, the producer, importer or brand owner's name and portal registration number. It prints 1 July 2024 beside rigid packaging, but it is unclear whether that covers other types. Compostable packaging has 1 January 2025, and single layer flexible packaging adds thickness.
What each pack type prints
The information is printed in English.
- Rigid packaging, and multilayer flexible packaging with more than one layer of different plastics including sachets and pouches, and multi-layered packaging: name and registration certificate number generated through the centralised online portal. The text puts the date 1 July 2024 straight after rigid packaging.
- Single layer flexible packaging including sachets or pouches, plastic sheets or like, covers made of plastic sheet and carry bags: name, registration certificate number and thickness.
- Compostable plastic sheet, packaging and carry bags: name and registration number with effect from 1 January 2025, plus the number of the certificate issued under clause (h) of sub-rule (4).
- Biodegradable plastic sheet, packaging and carry bags: name and the certificate number issued under clause (h) of sub-rule (4).
What the text leaves open
The date 1 July 2024 sits between rigid packaging and multilayer packaging in one long sentence. It may apply to rigid packaging alone or to everything in that clause. The compostable date, 1 January 2025, clearly belongs to its own clause. If your pack is multilayer, ask the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) which date you work to.
Exceptions
- Packaging covered under rule 26 of the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011.
- Cases where it is technically not feasible to print the information, as per the specifications in the labelling guidelines of the Bureau of Indian Standards Compulsory Registration Scheme.
- Packaging in either group is to be approved by CPCB, and the information is printed instead on the packaging that holds together the individual units of goods or the individual units of packaging.
A label is not a carbon claim
The registration number identifies who carries the producer responsibility. It says nothing about the carbon in the pack or its recycled content. A buyer asking for either needs separate records.
Four packs from one brand owner, example
- Rigid jar: name and registration number
- Single layer film pouch: name, registration number and thickness
- Pouch of two different plastics: name and registration number (date to confirm)
- Compostable carry bag from 1 January 2025: name, registration number and the compostability certificate number
These are examples of how I read the rule, not an approval of any label.
What Senseible does here
Senseible reads fuel invoices and electricity bills into records, so the diesel, fuel and power your site uses are on file. These rules are filed on government portals, outside Senseible's records.
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- Plastic packaging rules on export orders
- Recycled plastic content targets
- Biodegradable packaging: carbon footprint
Last reviewed 2026-11-05. Read against the amendments listed on the Ministry's page to October 2023. Check CPCB for any later label guidance.