Plastic Packaging EPR
for Sellers
Who qualifies as a Seller, what you must do under the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 (as amended), and how Social Lab runs the entire obligation for you.
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You’re a Seller under Plastic Packaging EPR if…
Traders of raw material used to make plastic packaging (granules, films). NOT traders of finished packaging.
Registration under Rule 13 of the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 covers producers and brand owners, plastic waste processors, and manufacturers of plastic raw material. Traders of that raw material are not a separate registering category, and the EPR targets sit with the Producer, Importer or Brand Owner who places packaging on the market.
- Traders dealing only in finished plastic packaging (not raw material) — outside the "Seller" definition.
Not sure this is you? Run the free applicability checker →
What Plastic Packaging EPR covers
The scope you register and report against as a Seller.
Bottles, caps, drums, containers and other rigid plastic packaging.
Milk pouches, shrink films, stretch films, polybags and other single-layer flexible packaging.
Packaging with at least one plastic layer and one non-plastic layer (e.g. tetra-pak, chips/“lays” wrappers).
Compostable plastic packaging and commodities such as cutlery and garbage bags.
Where a Seller sits in the Plastic Packaging chain
Material moves through the chain below. Your step is highlighted — each other step links to what that role has to do.
- 01 Resin manufacturer
Makes virgin plastic granules from crude oil.
- 02 Raw-material seller You are here
Trades granules and films — not finished packaging.
- 03 Producer / Brand Owner
Converts material into packaging and puts it on the market.
- 04 Consumer
Uses the packaged product; discards the packaging.
- 05 Plastic Waste Processor
Recycles, co-processes or recovers energy from the waste.
Not sure which role you actually hold? Many businesses hold more than one — and the obligation follows the role, not the job title.
Plastic Packaging circularity, delivered
The on-ground side of the plastic story — circular-cities and municipal programmes we’ve run.
Other roles under Plastic Packaging EPR
Many businesses register in more than one role. Here’s the rest of the Plastic Packaging EPR map.
Manufacturers of plastic packaging (rigid, flexible, multi-layered, compostable), including contract manufacturers making packaging on behalf of brands.
See the Producer obligation → ImporterVirtually every importer: if any plastic packaging enters India with your shipment, you must register (45,000+ importers registered, >85% of all registrations).
See the Importer obligation → Brand OwnerAny company using plastic packaging to sell products in India. Only medium & large companies (micro & small are exempt).
See the Brand Owner obligation → Plastic Waste ProcessorRecyclers (granules / PSF), waste-to-energy plants, cement plants (co-processing), paper mills, and pyrolysis units.
See the Plastic Waste Processor obligation → ManufacturerProducers of virgin plastic resins from crude oil (~18 large enterprises such as Reliance, GAIL, Nayara).
See the Manufacturer obligation →EPR compliance delivered for leading companies
Seller FAQs: Plastic Packaging EPR
Who is a Seller under Plastic Packaging EPR?
Traders of raw material used to make plastic packaging (granules, films). NOT traders of finished packaging.
Does a Seller have to register for Plastic Packaging EPR?
Registration under Rule 13 of the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 covers producers and brand owners, plastic waste processors, and manufacturers of plastic raw material. Traders of that raw material are not a separate registering category, and the EPR targets sit with the Producer, Importer or Brand Owner who places packaging on the market.
What are the Plastic Packaging EPR targets?
Plastic EPR targets are category-specific (Category I Rigid / II Flexible / III Multi-layered / IV Compostable) and phased upward each year. Check the CPCB EPR portal for the current financial year’s targets.
What happens if a Seller doesn’t comply?
Environmental Compensation (EC) for non-compliance, levied by CPCB / SPCBs.
Plastic Packaging EPR, off your plate.
Get a free seller applicability assessment, or talk to our EPR team today.
Or call +91 89566 47102 · [email protected]