Candy, chocolate to get green flavour
Govt plans new eco-labelling norms to empower consumer to make free and fair choice of products.
By Rajat Guha and Deepshikha Monga, TNN |
NEW DELHI: Candies and chocolates are set to get a green flavour. There would soon be a mandatory testing for confectionery to test the environmental impact from production to disposal before the product hits the market.
Goodies passing muster would carry an eco-label, a symbol identifying these as being environment-friendly. An eco-label is used to identify a product as having an eco-friendly life cycle compared to others in its category.
The new eco-labelling norms are part of the Cabinet note on National Consumer Policy that seeks to empower consumer and inform him to make free and fair choice of products. The National Consumer Policy would be adopted on December 24 this year and all tasks including legislative action would be completed thereafter.
“The policy aims at creating sustainable production and consumption patterns by developing such standards. Mandatory environmental impact testing would be a great way ahead,” a senior government official said.
Globally, there are eco-labels like the Eco Flower in European Union, Nordic Swan in Scandinavia and the Blue Angel in Germany. The Eco Flower, for instance, covers products such as apparel, paper, appliances and detergents.
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Companies have also launched private eco-labels to differentiate their offerings. Home Depot, for instance, in April this year introduced Eco Options that covers items ranging from energy-efficient compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) to organic plants.
Confectionery makers say the Rs 2,000-crore industry is not the best candidate to introduce eco-labelling norms. “The government has to remember we are a low-price industry with unit packs priced as low as 50 paise. We already use film and ink of food-grade material,” says an Indian Confectionery Manufacturers’ Association spokesperson.
Others say introduction of eco-labelling in India is a good step but needs to be backed by government support. “It’s a laudable and welcome step on the government’s side but it would have to pass the tests of practicality and infrastructure.
The costs would be high initially and the government would have to create enabling factors for companies to conform to the new norms,” says Perfetti van Melle India managing director Prakash Wakankar.
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Perfetti is in the process of setting up a pilot plant based on biomass fuel in Chennai that will be ready by year-end. Mr Wakankar says running a biomass-based plant could initially cost 20-25% more than that using diesel for power generation until scale is achieved.
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