How consumers perceive quality in an era where branding dominates

‘Recalibrating Quality Regime’, said an editorial in Business Standard on November 10, 2025. It went on to say that a high-level committee has reportedly suggested scrapping or deferring more than 200 quality control orders issued under the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Act. While the editorial spoke about importers and exporters, I could not but think of the implications of BIS Standards (what used to be ISI standards) on consumers and their buying behaviour. 

There was a time when brands used to proudly display quality marks like ‘Agmark’ and ‘ISI’ mark in their advertising and on their packaging. This was