CPCB RTI response exposes compostable plastics infrastructure gap

A recent Right to Information (RTI) response from the central pollution control board (CPCB) has brought renewed scrutiny to India's compostable plastics ecosystem, revealing that no industrial composting facility is currently registered on the country's centralised extended producer responsibility (EPR) portal for plastic packaging.

The disclosure raises questions about the end-of-life management of compostable plastic packaging and the effectiveness of EPR compliance mechanisms linked to such materials.

In its response to the RTI by Pankaj Kumar dated 4 June 2026, CPCB stated that it has certified 354 manufacturers of compostable plastics as of 2 June 2026. However, the regulator also confirmed that "there is no industrial composting facility registered till date" on the EPR portal.

The finding has triggered concerns among waste management experts and industry stakeholders about how compostable plastics are being processed after collection. Compostable plastics are designed to biodegrade under controlled industrial composting conditions. In the absence of registered processing infrastructure, questions arise about whether these materials are being composted, landfilled, incinerated or mixed with conventional plastic waste streams.

The issue also has implications for EPR compliance. Under India's Plastic Waste Management framework, producers, importers and brand owners (PIBOs) are responsible for collecting plastic packaging waste, while local bodies are tasked with creating infrastructure for segregation, collection, transportation and processing of waste. The RTI response reiterates these responsibilities but does not clarify the operational treatment pathway currently available for compostable plastics.
Industry observers argue that the situation highlights a broader challenge facing sustainable packaging initiatives: certification and material innovation are advancing faster than waste processing infrastructure.

Without dedicated composting facilities, compostable packaging risks becoming a theoretical sustainability solution rather than a practical one. Packaging experts have called for a nationwide audit of composting infrastructure, greater transparency around EPR certificate generation, and clear standard operating procedures covering the collection, transportation and treatment of compostable plastic waste.

The disclosure comes as regulators intensify enforcement of plastic waste management rules and push for greater producer accountability. It also shifts attention to a critical question for the packaging value chain: what happens to compostable packaging after it is discarded?

Until that question is answered with verifiable data and infrastructure, claims of circularity surrounding compostable plastics are likely to face increasing scrutiny.