Previous Year Question
The symbol ‘ECOMARC’ is related to which of the following?
Goods of best quality
Safe goods for environment
Exported goods
Imported goods
Correct Answer: B
Detailed Solution
Ecomark is India's eco-labelling framework intended to help consumers identify products that meet prescribed environmental criteria and have relatively lower adverse environmental impacts.
The Government of India originally launched the Ecomark Scheme in 1991. Its purpose was to identify environment-friendly products, promote sustainable consumption and encourage manufacturers to adopt more environment-friendly production processes.
The traditional Ecomark logo is an “Earthen Pot.” The earthen pot symbolises a product designed to cause comparatively less damage to the environment and reflects the use of natural and environmentally compatible materials.
Ecomark is not merely a general certification for “best quality.” Under the earlier framework, a product had to satisfy applicable BIS quality requirements as well as additional environment-friendly criteria. Thus, its distinguishing feature is environmental performance.
Current Status (2026)
An update is particularly important here. The Ecomark Rules, 2024 were notified on 26 September 2024, replacing the 1991 Ecomark Scheme and strengthening the eco-labelling framework for environment-friendly products.
Under the new Rules, Ecomark criteria may cover environmental aspects such as resource consumption, climate impact, biodiversity, energy consumption, waste generation, emissions and hazardous substances. The scheme is implemented by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in partnership with the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
The Ecomark Rules, 2024 remain the operative framework in 2026; a draft amendment concerning certain product-specific criteria was also issued in June 2026.