A study done by the Consumer Unity and Trust Society (CUTS), a consumer rights advocacy group, claims that the most crippling setback to the scheme was the indifference of the big players in the industry.  

Sample this case. In 1993, the Tide Water Detergent Company, then a unit of the consumer goods giant, Godrej,  applied for and acquired Ecomark, for Ezee, a detergent for woolen garments. Then the product was sold to another corporate entity, Proctor & Gamble. After the takeover, Procter & Gamble declined the use of  Ecomark on “Ezee” claiming that its corporate policy does not permit this! This despite the fact that during the same period,  they were using ecolabels on their products in Sweden, probably due to pressure extended by the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, an NGO.

Simi TB, assistant policy analyst of CUTS says  “Companies in  India are only keen on the “green” edge from a marketing angle. Self-declarations in place of the Ecomark would just not suffice, because it is impossible to verify each claim. So it is absolutely imperative to have a standard, verified certification process.”

So how does this scheme actually work? As consumers it is important for us to know the details. Here are the key components:

Even if the  most stringent and genuine eco labelling process is put in place, it will be useful ¡to  remember that we are not green just because we use a green product. If we overlap the map of eco labels on the world map, it is evident  that the countries that are market driven are the ones who lead the way. The entire continent of Africa has not a single eco label. But are the Africans the worst polluters? No. Because they are hardly buying anything at all!

Perhaps it is time to revive a time worn label that has always marked the Indian way of life. It says-

“ Frugality is India’s tradition. Modernity sees it as poverty”