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Punjab's Plastic Crackdown: 14 Major Brands Summoned Amid Waste Crisis

The Punjab Pollution Control Board has taken decisive action against 14 major brands identified as top plastic waste contributors. This move follows a groundbreaking brand audit across six cities that revealed alarming plastic pollution levels. The audit found that nearly 60% of hard-to-recycle waste came from just these 14 companies. The board is now demanding concrete plans for consumer return programs and verifiable waste management within Punjab.

Key Points: Punjab Pollution Board Summons 14 Brands Over Plastic Waste

  • First-ever plastic waste brand audit conducted across six major Punjab cities
  • 88% of plastic waste found was hard-to-recycle packaging material
  • Companies must present time-bound consumer return incentive strategies
  • Action targets brands meeting EPR rules only on paper with unverifiable certificates
2 min read

Punjab Pollution Control Board summons 14 brands for plastic waste

PPCB takes action against 14 major brands responsible for 59% of hard-to-recycle plastic waste found in six Punjab cities during landmark brand audit.

"No company will be allowed to pollute Punjab. We will fix accountability and clean up all our cities - PPCB Chairperson Reena Gupta"

Chandigarh, Nov 11

In a decisive step towards strengthening on-ground compliance, the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), on Tuesday, summoned 14 leading brands identified as major contributors of hard-to-recycle plastic waste.

The board directed them to present clear and time-bound strategies that incentivise consumers to return post-use plastic packaging.

"No company will be allowed to pollute Punjab. We will fix accountability and clean up all our cities," PPCB Chairperson Reena Gupta said.

This move germinated from a plastic waste brand audit conducted by the board, which is a first-ever exercise in India.

The PPCB carried out the Plastic Waste Brand Audit 2025 in six cities -- Amritsar, Bathinda, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Mohali, and Patiala.

The study checked plastic waste collected from different areas in these cities to find out which companies produce the most plastic waste.

Out of 6,991 kg of total municipal waste across diverse socio-economic profiles studied, 613 kg was found to be plastic.

The results show that 88 per cent of this plastic waste is hard-to-recycle.

The board found 11,810 plastic packets were found across the six cities.

However, just 14 major national and multinational brands were responsible for about 59 per cent of the hard-to-recycle waste.

The board said these findings highlight the urgent need for strict action under the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) rules, which require companies to take responsibility for the waste created by their products.

The board noted that some companies and brand owners are meeting EPR targets only on paper by using unverifiable certificates or shifting responsibility to other states.

Producers of plastic waste must shift to real, verifiable, and fully auditable collection and processing of the plastic waste they generate, and this work must happen within Punjab itself, not on paper or in other states.

The board says it will continue to enhance monitoring, enforcement, and industry collaboration to move Punjab toward a cleaner, circular and plastic-responsible future.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
As someone living in Amritsar, I can see plastic pollution everywhere. The Golden Temple area is beautiful but the surrounding streets are filled with plastic waste. Hope this initiative brings real change.
A
Aditya G
The fact that only 14 brands are responsible for 59% of hard-to-recycle waste is shocking! These companies should be named and shamed. Consumers should also boycott brands that don't take environmental responsibility seriously.
S
Sarah B
While I appreciate the effort, I hope this isn't just another paperwork exercise. The mention of companies meeting targets "only on paper" is concerning. We need actual on-ground implementation and regular monitoring.
M
Meera T
This is a wake-up call for all of us. We consumers also need to reduce our plastic consumption. Maybe companies can introduce deposit schemes where we get money back for returning plastic packaging? ♻️
V
Vikram M
PPCB should make the brand audit report public. Transparency will put more pressure on these companies to act responsibly. Punjab's environment needs protection from this plastic menace.

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