India Publishes Amendment of Plastic Waste Management Rules 
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) of India published the Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2026, on March 31, 2026, which came into force on the same day. The amendment rules, while based on the draft published on June 3, 2025, has some of its provision revised. The amendments are mainly provisions for food packaging including packaging for drinking water, specifically, the reuse targets for Category I (rigid plastic packaging) for food packaging have been subdivided, whereas new exemptions have also been added.
Category Revisions in Category I Packaging Reuse Targets
The reuse targets for Category I (rigid packaging) by brand owners were amended as shown in the table below. A new subcategory for drinking water of 4.9 L or more / 4.9 kg or more have been added.
| Financial Year | Reuse Targets of Category I Packaging (as % of Category I packaging in products sold annually) | |
|---|---|---|
| Equal to 4.9 L / 4.9 kg or more, used for packaging of drinking water | Equal to 4.9 L / 4.9 kg or more, used for packaging of products other than drinking water | |
| 2025-26 | 70% | 10% (as opposed to 70%) |
| 2026-27 | 75% | 10% (as opposed to 75%) |
| 2027-28 | 80% | 15% (as opposed to 80%) |
| 2028-29 onwards | 85% | 15% (as opposed to 85%) |
Fulfillment of reuse targets for FY2025-26 may be carried forward for a maximum of three years starting from FY2026-27. To do so, at least one-third of the carried-forward target value must be fulfilled as an annual fulfillment target.
Labeling for Packaging Using Recycled Content
Under the previous provisions, plastic packaging using recycled content was required to display a resin code and the percentage of recycled plastic content. This amendment has brought changes to the following:
- Displaying the percentage of recycled content is no longer mandatory.
- For food packaging, labeling obligations stipulated under other regulations related to food packaging (specifically the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging) Regulations, 2018) is required.
Exemption from Recycled Content Targets for Food and Other Products
Regarding the recycled content targets mandated for producers, importers, and brand owners may apply for exemptions from these requirements if the use of recycled material is not permitted by relevant regulations for its products, such as food, insecticides or drugs. The entity must declare at the time of submitting the annual report to be exempted.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) is also developing guidelines to provide clear verification and auditing regimes of recycled material use within six months.
Download the amendment rules from the following link:
https://egazette.gov.in/writeReadData/2026/271465.pdf
