The Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has shared an important update for India's pollution control system. The Ministry released two new rules under the Air and Water Acts. These rules include a fresh list of White Category industries. The goal of this update is to make things easier for businesses that do not create pollution or cause very little harm to the environment. It helps clean and green industries follow simple rules while keeping nature safe.

These White Category industries are considered non-polluting and are exempted from the need for Consent to Establish (CTE) and Consent to Operate (CTO) from State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs). The update helps businesses adopt cleaner production methods and supports India's environmental goals of reducing industrial emissions and improving water quality.

Understanding the CPCB's 'White Category'

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) made the White Category to list industries that cause almost no pollution. These industries are very clean and safe for the environment. Unlike the Red, Orange, or Green categories, the White Category industries do not release dirty water or harmful smoke into the air. They work in a way that keeps the surroundings clean and pollution-free. Industries included in this category are usually small-scale, dry-process, and eco-friendly operations. These sectors only need intimation to SPCB instead of lengthy pollution control consents.

Objective of the 2025 Update

The 2025 revision underlines the government's commitment to promoting green industrial growth. The main goals are:

To encourage low-pollution and resource-efficient industries.
To ease regulatory burden for small and micro-scale units.
To ensure that clean manufacturing receives recognition and compliance benefits.
To align environmental norms with CPCB guidelines and national climate goals.

By expanding the list to 86 sectors, the Ministry has recognized more eco-friendly activities that contribute to sustainable economic growth.

Key Highlights to the White Category List

The revised White Category list of industries (2025) introduces new activities and clearer conditions for classification under the Air and Water Acts. These updates make it easier to identify operations that have a truly minimal environmental footprint.

1. Renewable Energy and Clean Technology

Hydrogen production through electrolysis using renewable energy is now officially recognized as a White Category activity. This applies when the hydrogen plant is located within the end-user industry premises and directly uses its utilities, such as de-mineralized water, cooling towers, and Effluent Treatment Plants (ETPs).
Solar power generation through photovoltaic cells and wind power plants also continues to be part of the White Category, as they operate without emissions or wastewater discharge.

2. Waste Management and Bio-energy

The updated list brings greater clarity to bioenergy and waste-based industries.

Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG) plants, using feedstock like municipal solid waste, agro-residue, animal waste, or energy crops, qualify if they do not discharge any wastewater and only produce safe by-products such as Fermented Organic Manure (FOM) or Liquid Fermented Organic Manure (LFOM).
Collection centres for recyclable materials are included, provided they do not perform depollution, dismantling, or shredding operations.

These additions promote resource recovery and circular economy practices without increasing pollution load.

3. Micro and Small-Scale Operations

Several small-scale and cottage industries are now clearly exempted from heavy pollution control compliance if they use clean fuels and simple dry processes. Examples include:

Soap manufacturing is allowed if handmade, without steam boiling or boiler use.
Detergent powder manufacturing qualifies when it involves only manual dry mixing.
Sanitary napkin and diaper manufacturing for micro or small-scale units are included when operations produce no effluent or emissions.
Food and food-processing units, including bakeries, confectioneries, and sweets production, with a capacity of 0.5–1 TPD, are covered if they use clean fuels (electricity or gaseous) and have permission to discharge into municipal sewerage systems connected to a terminal STP.

This clarification helps small businesses stay compliant while promoting clean manufacturing practices.

4. Manufacturing and Assembling

The amendment also defines which assembly and fabrication processes are considered non-polluting. Activities that involve cutting, stitching, assembling, or physical mixing only, without heat treatment, painting, or chemical reactions, fall under the White Category. Some examples include:

Assembly of air coolers and conditioners, limited to mechanical fitting without chemical usage.
Manufacturing of surgical and medical products by assembling only, ensuring no wastewater generation.
Garment and apparel manufacturing, limited to dry processing without dyeing, bleaching, or boiler use.

By recognising these activities, the Ministry aims to support clean industrial growth while preventing unnecessary regulatory burden.

5. Focus on Efficient Regulation

This regulatory streamlining ensures that the Central and State Pollution Control Boards can focus their monitoring and enforcement on high-impact industries, mainly those under Red and Orange Categories. By removing low-risk sectors from heavy scrutiny, the policy conserves government resources and enables better environmental governance for critical polluting industries.

List of White Category Industrial Sectors (2025)

The white category industrial plants or sectors are:

S.No.	Industrial Plant or Sector
1	Assembly of Bicycles, Baby carriages and other small non motorizing vehicles
2	Bailing (hydraulic press) of waste papers
3	Bio fertilizer and bio-pesticides without using inorganic chemicals
4	Block making of printing without foundry (excluding wooden block making)
5	Flavoured Betel nuts production/grinding (completely dry mechanical operations)
6	Manufacturing of shoe Brush and Wire Brush
7	Coir fibre or pith processing and/or Manufacturing of coir products from coir (only dry process)
8	Assembly of air coolers or conditioners, repairing and servicing
9	Cardboard or corrugated box and paper products (excluding paper or pulp manufacturing and without using boilers)
10	Chalk making from plaster of Paris (only casting without boilers etc. (sun drying or electrical oven)
11	Standalone manufacturing of Concrete admixtures up to 1000 MT per Month capacity by physical mixing (without boiler and reactor and no generation of wastewater)
12	Used cooking oil collection centres
13	Soap manufacturing (handmade-without steam boiling or boiler)
14	Diesel pump repairing and servicing (complete mechanical dry process)
15	Electric lamp (bulb) and Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) manufacturing by assembling only
16	Electrical and electronic item assembling (completely dry process)
17	Engineering and fabrication units dry process without any heat treatment/metal surface finishing operations or painting)
18	Carpentry and wooden furniture manufacturing without spray painting (excluding saw mill with the help of electrical (motorized) machines such as electrical wood planner, steel saw cutting, circular blade, etc.
19	Steel furniture without spray painting
20	Compressed Bio Gas plants based on feedstock-Municipal Solid Waste, agro-residue, energycrops grass or weeds, animal waste, press mud, etc. (as similar type feedstock apart from industrial or process waste), not discharging any waste water and producing by-products,- (i) Fermented Organic Manure (FOM) and/or Liquid Fermented Organic Manure (LFOM), enriched manure and/or (ii) Briquette or pellet using electricity.
21	Hydrogen production through electrolysis (using renewable energy) on Build-Own-Operate (BOO) or Build-Own-Operate –Transfer ((BOOT) or Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) mode etc., located in the premises of end user industry and directly using de-mineralized water & other utilities (cooling tower, ETP, etc.) sourced from end user industry
22	Compressed oxygen Gas from crude liquid oxygen (without use of any solvents and by maintaining pressure and temperature only for separation of other Gases)
23	Glass and ampules and vials making from Glass tubes
24	Glass nut decorticating
25	Medical Oxygen
26	Handloom/carpet weaving (without dying and bleaching operation)
27	Manufacturing of scientific and mathematical
28	Manufacturing of products from jute (without dyeing or without boiler)
29	Leather foot wear and Leather products (excluding tanning and hide processing)
30	Leather cutting and stitching (more than 10 machine and using motor)
31	Organic Manure (physical mixing)
32	Packing of powdered Milk
33	Cold rolling mill (without heat treatment)
34	Wire drawing and wire netting (without pickling and without heat treatment)
35	Manufacturing of Metal caps containers etc
36	Organic and inorganic Nutrients by physical mixing (without boiler and without any reactor)
37	Biscuits trays etc. from rolled PVC sheet (using automatic vacuum forming machines)
38	Fountain Pen manufacturing by assembling only
39	Glass Putty and sealant (by mixing with machine only)
40	Manufacturing of Paper Pins, U-clips, etc.
41	Solar Power generation through solar photovoltaic cell and wind power
42	Repairing of electric motors and generators (dry mechanical process)
43	Manufacturing of plastic or cotton Rope
44	Type Retreaders
45	Collection Centres (Without depollution, dismantling and shredding)
46	Surgical and medical products assembled only (without effluent-generating process)
47	Manufacturing of Solar module or non-conventional energy apparatus
48	Digital thermometer manufacturing
49	Blending and packing of tea
50	Garment and apparel manufacturing industry including Doubling or Reeling or TFO-Two for one unit (dry process)- without boiler
51	Cotton and woollen Hosiers making (Dry process only without any dying or washing operation)
52	Railway sidings only for defence purpose
53	Household bio-digesters/gobar-gas (cow-dung) plants based on biodegradable wastes, etc.
54	Mini Hydel power plants (Capacity -25 MV)
55	Agro-produce processing units having capacity more than 0.5 TPD but less than 1 TPD, using only cleaner fuels –electricity or gaseous fuel (without effluent generation)
56	Assembling units and mechanical workshops (without heat or surface treatment or spray painting)
57	Bakery, confectionery, and sweets production units having capacity more than 0.5 TPD but less than 1 TPD, using only cleaner fuels –electricity or gaseous fuel and with having permission to discharge in municipal sewerage system connected to terminal STP*
58	Cleaning and other brushes manufacturing through dry mechanical process (without moulding and without effluent/emission generation)
59	Cattle/ fish/ poultry feed pellet making (only palletisation unit without boiler and effluent generation)
60	Cement products (without using Asbestos) like pipe, pillar, jafri, well ring, blocks/tiles etc. (<1 TPD)*
61	Decoration of ceramic cups & plates by electric furnace
62	Detergent powder manufacturing (handmade -without steam boiling or boiler)*
62	Digital Printing on flex or vinyl, PVC etc. (less than 5 machines)*
64	Distilled water using only electricity (< 1 KLD capacity)*
65	DPC (paper coating) of copper and aluminium wire (only dry process)
66	Food and food processing unit (having capacity more than 0.5 TPD but less than 1 TPD) using only cleaner fuels -electricity/gaseous fuel, with having permission to discharge in municipal sewerage system connected to terminal STP*
67	Fuel dispensing unit only without automobile servicing repairing and painting
68	Gold Assaying & Hallmarking Centres
69	Herbal powder products making without extraction (dry process - without emissions or effluent generation)
70	Industrial items from engineering plastics by fabrication process only (without moulding)
71	Manufacturing of all types of threads, cordage, twines etc. (without ginning)
72	Manufacturing of cotton vicks, tapes, bandages, adsorbent cotton etc. ((dry process without boiler and effluent generation)
73	Manufacturing of Domestic Hardware and Utensils (Without heat/surface treatment/effluent generation)
74	Manufacturing of products by only cutting/stitching/gumming (without effluent/emissions generation)
75	Manufacturing of products through physical mixing only like - Floor Polish, Nail Polish, Hair Oil, Shampoo, Tooth Powder, Tooth Paste, Perfume, Hand Sanitizer, (Micro and small scale operations)
76	Manufacturing of sanitary napkins/ diapers fixing and sealing (Small and Micro scale units without effluent/emission generation)
77	Manufacturing of Stationery Items (by assembling, and cutting or punching or stapling or binding etc.)
78	Metal fabrication works and hand tool manufacturing through machines (without heat or surface treatment or spray painting)
79	Oil mill ghani and extraction no hydrogenation refining with capacity not exceeding 500 kg/day*
80	Packing of food items (without processing)
81	Paints and varnishes mixing and blending (without ball mill and only dry process)
82	Plastic wire, net, nivar and other products (dry process through looping, twisting, cutting etc.)
83	Puffed rice or murhi or chura with capacity not exceeding 1 TPD per day*
84	Rice mills holler machine with capacity not exceeding 1 TPD per day*
85	Small scale restaurant or hotel without room/cloud kitchens or Resorts (without stay/room facility)*
86	Sports Goods Manufacturing Units (without seasoning of woods)

*Sub-sector of the existing green category sector

Impact on Industry and Environment

The 2025 update for White Category industries helps promote cleaner and greener ways of working. It motivates factories and small units to use eco-friendly methods that do not harm the air or water. This change also makes business easier for small industries by cutting down on extra paperwork and waiting time.

Industrial Impact

It supports small businesses to run smoothly, rewards industries that use green fuels or dry production methods, and matches CPCB's goal of zero pollution.

Environmental Impact

It helps reduce air and water pollution, allows better checking by pollution boards, and inspires more use of renewable energy in industries.

Role of CPCB and SPCBs

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) supervises the classification process. State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) maintain online intimation portals where industries can declare their operations under the White Category. Industries must still maintain basic environmental safeguards, such as:

Proper waste segregation and disposal.
Non-use of hazardous chemicals.
Compliance with municipal wastewater rules, if applicable.

Conclusion

The 2025 update by MoEF&CC to the White Category list is a great move in India's green industrial evolution. With 86 industries recognized as non-polluting, this change supports a cleaner economy and faster industrial growth.

These updates reduce regulatory hurdles, promote environmental awareness, and guide industries toward sustainable manufacturing practices. The focus on dry processes, renewable energy, and zero discharge ensures that India continues its journey toward an eco-friendly, pollution-free future.

Environment Ministry Revised White Category Industries under the Air and Water Acts

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Mahek Sancheti