BIS to include more sectors under green standards, seeks suggestions

These aim to reduce impact of human activity and promote efficient use of resources

India has set green standards for construction, agriculture, waste management and electric vehicles to make the sectors environmentally sustainable, said the government’s quality regulator on Wednesday.

Pramod Kumar Tiwari, director general of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), said his organisation is identifying more sectors that can be included to reduce their carbon footprint. “We are sharing the lists with the concerned ministries for the green standards which need to be formulated further and have asked for their suggestions,” he said.

The government has set a carbon credit trading framework under the Energy Efficiency Act and BIS is developing standards for it. Green standards indicate the environmental attributes or performance of a product or service. They aim to reduce the impact of human activity on the environment and promote the efficient use of resources. The standards either provide guidance to organisations regardless of their size or location (such as system standards) or are specific (such as product, process or test method standards), Tiwari said.

To encourage reuse in the construction sector, BIS has set green standards on materials like fly ash, ultra fine slag, silica fume, construction and demolition waste. It has also framed green standards for wood products other than obtained from natural sources.

“Around 200 million tonnes of fly ash is being generated per annum through power plants which (fly ash) can be used as a pozzolana, a fine aggregate for mortar and concrete and as an admixture for concrete, bricks and blocks,” said another BIS official.

Tiwari said BIS has requested state governments to use bricks made of fly ash instead of traditional bricks.

“We have also  formulated standards for water-efficient products and have requested the ministry of housing and urban affairs to make their usage mandatory to control water wastage,” Tiwari told reporters.

BIS has formulated standards for handling different types of waste generated at the household and community levels. It is working on a new technological area of offshore wind turbines.

BIS has framed green standards for organic production systems and labelling of organically produced crops and animals products. It also provides standards for micro irrigation.

Also, BIS has framed standards specifying the procedures and assessment of biodegradability of plastics under varied conditions. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the environment ministry have been asked not to certify anyone for producing biodegradable plastic as there is no way to establish such products, said officials.