Indian plastics producers are seeking a one-year extension of the binding BIS (Bureau of Indian Standard) quality requirements for polymers after the quality authority extended the implementation in selected chemicals by four months from the original deadline of October 2021. The plastics producers said a postponement of the deadline would provide great relief for industries that use polymers.
According to BIS’ notification in April 2021, producers, importers, traders, and users of various chemicals and polymers have a six-month period to adhere to the quality requirements. The original notification set October 12, 2021, as the deadline for binding implementation. An industry official said that polymer producers and users had already complied with standards from ISO, ASTM, and DIN.
Hence, enforcing another standard requirement is questionable because it gives the industry no breathing space, said the official under anonymity. The person added that the government should give an extension to the deadline because it had conducted insufficient preparatory work before requiring the standards. There is also uncertainty whether international standards would be applied after the BIS quality standards come into effect, the official said.
