One question we get a lot from businesses in Pune is some version of “does this even apply to us?” And honestly, that’s a fair question. EPR isn’t just for big manufacturers. It covers a much wider range of businesses than most people assume.
So instead of talking in general terms, we thought it would help to just lay out the kinds of businesses we actually work with, and where each of them fits into the EPR picture. EPR Registration for Plastic Waste Management || EPR Registration For Battery Waste Management.
Manufacturers
This is the most obvious one, but it’s worth being specific. If you manufacture plastic-packaged products, electronics, batteries, tyres, or vehicles, you’re a producer under the relevant category, plain and simple.
Pune has a strong base of auto components, electronics assembly, and FMCG manufacturing, so a lot of the businesses we work with here fall into this group. Many of them are surprised to learn they’re covered under more than one category at once. A company making an electronic product with a battery inside it, packaged in plastic, is technically liable under three separate EPR verticals, not one.
Importers
If you’re bringing in electronics, batteries, tyres, lubricants, or plastic-packaged goods from outside India, you’re treated as a producer too. This one catches people off guard the most, because a lot of importers assume EPR only applies to companies that actually manufacture something.
It doesn’t work that way. Import volumes are tracked closely, and EPR registration is often tied directly to customs clearance. We’ve worked with several import-heavy businesses in Pune where getting registered wasn’t just about compliance. It was about not having shipments held up at the port.
Brand Owners
You don’t have to manufacture anything yourself to be liable. If you sell a product under your own brand name, even if it’s made by someone else on contract, you’re still responsible for its EPR obligations, particularly for plastic packaging.
This is common with D2C and private-label businesses, which Pune has plenty of. A lot of these companies focus on product and marketing, and EPR ends up being an afterthought until it isn’t.
E-commerce Sellers and D2C Brands
Beyond just being brand owners, e-commerce sellers face a practical layer on top of the legal one. Several marketplaces now ask for a valid EPR certificate before approving a seller or a listing. No certificate can mean no approval, which directly affects your ability to sell.
We work with a growing number of D2C brands in Pune who come to us specifically because a marketplace flagged missing EPR documentation, not because they set out looking for a compliance consultant.
Recyclers and Processors
It’s not just producers who need to register. Recyclers, dismantlers, re-refiners, and processors across plastic, e-waste, battery, tyre, and used oil categories also need their own registration, since they’re the ones issuing the certificates producers use to meet targets.
We support a number of recycling and processing businesses in Pune with this side of registration too, since the documentation, particularly around facility and recycling capacity, is quite detailed.
Automotive and Vehicle Scrapping Businesses
With the newer End-of-Life Vehicles Rules, vehicle manufacturers now carry EPR obligations tied to scrapping targets. Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facilities play a central role here too, since they’re the ones certifying recovered steel that producers use to offset their targets.
Pune’s strong automotive base means this is a growing area for us. A lot of manufacturers here are still getting familiar with how differently this vertical works compared to plastic or e-waste. EPR Registration for Tyre waste || EPR Registration for Used oil || EPR E-Waste Registration Compliance.
Developers and Construction Businesses
This is the newest and least understood category. Under the Construction & Demolition Waste Management Rules, developers running projects with a built-up area of 20,000 square meters or more are now classified as producers, with their own registration and recycling targets.
Given how active Pune’s real estate and infrastructure development is right now, we’re seeing more developers realize, often later than they’d like, that a project they’re already midway through now falls under this obligation.
Bulk Consumers
Businesses that use large volumes of oil, batteries, or other regulated materials in their own operations, rather than selling them, can also carry obligations depending on the category. This applies to industries like logistics, manufacturing, and facilities management, where lubricants and batteries are used at scale internally.
If You’re Not Sure Which of These You Are
Honestly, a lot of businesses don’t fit neatly into one box. You might be a manufacturer and an importer. A brand owner who also sells on marketplaces. A developer who didn’t realize their project crossed the threshold. That overlap is exactly why we start every engagement with a proper applicability check, rather than assuming we already know where you fit.
What We Actually Do, Once We Know Where You Fit
• Map out every EPR category that applies to your business, not just the obvious one
• Handle documentation and registration on the correct portal for each category
• Follow up with CPCB until your certificate comes through
• Set up recycler, PRO, or processor tie-ups so your targets actually get met
• Track your renewals and returns, so nothing lapses without you noticing
EPR isn’t just a manufacturer’s problem. If you’re a business in Pune that makes, imports, brands, sells, recycles, scraps, or builds anything covered under these rules, there’s a good chance you’re on the hook for something, even if nobody’s told you that clearly yet.
If you’re not sure where your business fits, that’s exactly the kind of question we’re used to answering. Get in touch with Kar Parivartan, and we’ll help you figure it out.
