Certification marks in India

India has a comprehensive system of product certifications governed by laws

made by the Parliament of India at various times. These certifications are
managed by various agencies, and hold various statuses before the law.
Some of these marks are mandatory for such products to be manufactured or
to be placed in the Indian market while some of the marks hold only an
advisory status. All the industrial standardization and industrial product
certifications are governed by the Bureau of Indian Standards, the national
standards of India, while standards for other areas (like agricultural products)
are developed and managed by other governmental agencies.
Certification marks
The state enforced certification marks presently in India are:

ISI mark. For industrial product. Certifies that a product conforms to a

set of standards laid by the Bureau of Indian Standards.
FPO mark. A mandatory mark for all processed fruit products in India.
Certifies that the product was manufactured in a hygienic 'food-safe'
environment.
Agmark for all agricultural products.
The Non Polluting Vehicle mark on motor vehicles certifying conformity
to the Bharat Stage emission standards.
BIS hallmark. Certifies the purity of gold jewellery.
The India Organic certification mark for organically farmed food
products.[4] Certifies that the product conforms to the specifications
of National Standards for Organic Products, 2000 and any eventual
amendments.

The certification is issued by testing centers accredited by the Agricultural

and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) under
the National Program for Organic Production of the Government of India.

Ecomark. An eco-label for various products issued by the Bureau of

Indian Standards. Voluntary and promotional.

Other marks
These are mandatory marks or labels required by the law in India, but are not
exactly certifications marks.
The Vegetarian mark (green dot symbol) and the Non-vegetarian
mark (brown dot symbol). Either of this is mandatory for packaged food
products. To distinguish between vegetarian and non-vegetarian food.
Toxicity label. Mandatory on the containers of pesticides sold in India.
Identifies the level of toxicity of the pesticide in four levels

Non-statutory marks
There are other non-statutory certification marks or schemes in India which
are promoted by the Government of India, by policy, or through
governmental or semi-governmental agencies. But these certifications bear
no legal status in the nation and are purely promotional in nature.
Examples of such certifications are:
Silk Mark. Certifies that a piece of textile is pure silk. Managed by the
'Silk Mark Organization of India'.
The Ayush Mark or the Ayush Product Certification Scheme for herbal
products by the Department of Ayush.

The Darjeeling tea certification mark, a geographical indication mark

for tea produced in Darjeeling

PRODUCT CERTIFICATION SCHEMES

1. Domestic Manufacturers Certification Scheme - The applicant has
the option to choose any of the following two procedures for grant of BIS
licence:
i.

Normal Procedure The applicant is required to submit the filled in

application along with required documents and requisite fee to
the Branch Office under whose jurisdiction the manufacturing unit is
located. Subsequently, after recording of the application, a preliminary
factory evaluation is carried out by BIS officer to ascertain the
capability of the applicant/manufacturer to produce goods according to

ii.

the relevant Indian Standard and to verify the availability of complete

testing facility and competent technical personnel. Samples are tested
in the factory and also drawn for independent testing. Grant of licence
is considered by BIS provided the samples pass during independent
testing, preliminary evaluation is satisfactory and the applicant agrees
to operate the defined Scheme of Testing & Inspection and pay the
prescribed marking fee. By this procedure the licence is expected to be
granted within 4 months of recording of application by BIS and 6
months in case of all India first licence for a product.
Simplified Procedure - In this procedure, the applicant is required to
submit test report(s) from specified laboratories along with the
application. Grant of license is considered provided the verification visit
is found to be satisfactory and the applicant agrees to implement the
defined scheme of testing and inspection and pay the prescribed
marking fee. Sample(s) is (are) drawn during the verification visit for
independent testing, but the conformity of this sample does not form a
pre-condition for grant of licence. However, the test result is used for
review purpose.

2. Foreign
Manufacturers
Certification
Scheme - Overseas
applicants/foreign manufacturers are granted licence for the use of ISI mark
under separately designed scheme within 6 months period.
3. ECO Mark Scheme - Besides the normal product certification scheme,
BIS also grants licenses to environment friendly products under a special
scheme and awards the ECO MARK to such products. These products should
conform to additional requirements specified in the Indian Standards to
qualify. The procedure for grant of licence is same as that of Domestic
Manufacturers