EPR-ETP Portal: A Rumour or a Reality?

India’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework has been the backbone of the country’s waste management regulation for years now. Producers, importers, and brand owners (PIBOs) across plastic packaging, e-waste, batteries, tyres, and used oil categories have been navigating their compliance obligations through CPCB’s centralised EPR portals. But something bigger has been quietly building in the background — the EPR Electronic Trading Platform, or EPR-ETP. Industry circles have been buzzing about it for months. So what exactly is it, and is it actually happening?

What is the EPR-ETP Portal?

The EPR-ETP (Extended Producer Responsibility Electronic Trading and Settlement Platform) is a proposed digital marketplace that will facilitate the trading of EPR certificates between obligated entities — producers, importers, and brand owners — and waste processors, in a transparent and fair manner. In simple terms, think of it as a stock exchange, but instead of shares, what gets traded are EPR compliance certificates.

The platform works in coordination with CPCB’s Centralised EPR Portal to generate and transfer certificates. Any obligated entity will be required to register on the trading platform and abide by its operational regulations, along with prescribed registration fees, in order to trade on the EPRETP.

Who Will Operate It?

MSTC Ltd, a Government of India Enterprise, has been recommended by the Tender Committee of the Central Pollution Control Board for the development and operation of the Electronic Trading Platform for EPR certificates. The company will be tasked with designing, developing, and operating the National EPR Certificate Trading Platform, with a revenue model based on commission from the volume of EPR certificates traded on the platform.

The transaction fee is typically 4%, split between the buyer and seller, and the authorization for operating the EPR platform is valid for 15 years, with an option for renewal.

What Waste Categories Will It Cover?

The EPR-ETP framework covers multiple waste streams — Plastic Waste, E-Waste, Battery Waste, Waste Tyres, and Used Oil — bringing all of them under a single unified electronic trading and settlement mechanism.

Key Benefits of the EPR-ETP Portal

The EPR-ETP, once operational, is expected to be a game-changer for environmental compliance in India. Here are the key benefits:

First, it brings price transparency and fair discovery to what has historically been an opaque bilateral market. The electronic platform is required to adopt a Uniform Price and Double Side Closed Auction and Continuous Fixed Price Market system for discovery of price of EPR certificates — eliminating the opacity that currently plagues certificate transactions.

Second, it directly addresses the problem of fraudulent certificates. The EPRETP ensures that expired or invalid certificates are filtered out and are not available for trade, helping prevent fraud, while all data on trades, certificates, and user interactions are synchronised with CPCB’s centralised database, ensuring compliance and regulatory oversight.

Third, it levels the playing field for smaller entities. Companies that exceed their EPR obligations can generate surplus credits and sell them to those who are unable to fully meet their targets — creating a market-based mechanism that rewards over-performers and provides a legitimate compliance pathway for others.

Fourth, it introduces structural integrity into the market. Conflict of interest is strictly controlled — entities subject to EPR obligations cannot operate as ETP providers, and no obligated entity can hold more than 5% of shareholding in the trading platform.

Finally, it drives the formalisation of India’s recycling economy. India’s EPR market is projected to grow from $1.5 billion in 2025 to $5 billion by 2030 — a 20% CAGR — and a well-functioning trading exchange is critical to channelling that growth through legitimate, traceable channels.

So — Rumour or Reality?

The EPR-ETP is very much real in terms of its regulatory and institutional foundation. MSTC’s management, in their nine-month FY26 earnings discussions, indicated the CPCB EPR trading exchange is expected to begin generating revenue from FY27, with good double-digit growth projected once the exchange stabilises — suggesting internal timelines are in motion.

However — and this is important for businesses to note — as of the date of this blog post, CPCB has not issued any official public communication confirming the exact launch date of the EPR-ETP portal. No gazette notification, no official circular, and no binding timeline has been announced. What exists is a well-developed regulatory framework, CPCB’s guidelines for ETP operators, and a recommended operator in MSTC — but the formal go-live announcement is still awaited.

For businesses operating under EPR obligations, the message is clear: the EPR-ETP is not a rumour. It is a carefully structured policy initiative that is inching closer to reality with every passing quarter. The wise move is to stay registered on the existing CPCB EPR portals, maintain clean compliance records, and watch this space closely. When the official launch communication does come, those who are prepared will be ahead of the curve.

Disclaimer: This blog post is for informational purposes only and is based on publicly available information as of March 2026. Businesses are advised to monitor official communications from CPCB for the confirmed launch date and operational guidelines of the EPR-ETP portal.