Tanya had a question; what about policies? Who makes them? Who enforces them? Who impacts them? Eileen, a Law student, had some answers for us.
The constitution governs environmental laws; mostly enforced by the central government. Smaller, state governments or municipalities can do a better job at enforcement and implementation.
But who monitors what companies produce? ” As long as a company is registered, they can make anything”
So, if you want to know more about anything in India, you can go to the ‘Right to Information Act’. It is taken pretty seriously in India. Plus, it is anonymous.
But there isn’t a government body that monitors all products. There is a Bureau of Indian Standards though, the one that has an ISI mark. But beware, if ii is not accompanied by a 7 digit code, the claim might be fake.
We asked her if she can help us contact someone who knows more about Indian standards. That is one lead.
But what about government policies? I remembered Shubhra Verma, an Environment management professional working in the e-waste sector. She told us a few things
-E-waste is an unorganized sector. Most of it is illegal work. Many groups are trying to get into legalizing and organizing.
-70% of waste in India is CRT, Cathode Ray Tubes. It follows a 3 step process
-MEiT, Karo Sambhav, Reverse Logistics Group are a few organizations looking into this.
-Different countries have different laws, some are strict, some are lax
Design Less; Design Right 