Plastic Packaging (Amendment) Rules, 2026 notified; introduces of use of recycled plastic content in packaging used in food contact application

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (“MOEFCC”) notifies the Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2026 (“Amendment Rules”) to further amend the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 (“Principal Rules”). This is effective immediately. The Amendment Rules mandates strict, enforced Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) targets, four-stream waste segregation, and mandatory recycled content usage in packaging.

Key Amendments:

1. Conformity to the Indian Standard: IS 14534: 2023- Plastics—Recovery and Recycling of Plastics Waste—Guidelines for each recycled plastic packaging or commodity.

2. The producer, Importer and brand owner to ensure mandatory use of recycled plastic in plastic packaging category-wise as per the revised category wise distribution in food contact

applications by Producer/ Importer/Brand Owners.

3.  The producer, Importer and brand owner are permitted to carry forward the unfulfilled target for mandatory use of recycled plastic content in plastic packaging used in food contact applications for the year 2025-26, for a period of up to three consecutive years starting from 2026-27 over and above the target mandated for those years.

4. Introduction of minimum obligation to re-use Category-I (rigid plastic packaging) used for packaging of drinking water and products other than drinking water by Brand Owners.

Source: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change