Blue Category of Industries

Recently, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has carved a new category of industries called the ‘blue category’ industries based on the Essential Environmental Services (EES) for managing the pollution due to anthropogenic activities. 

• The  Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has included the highly polluting ‘waste-to-energy (WTE) incineration’ as a part of its revised  scheme in ‘blue category’ industries.
• Until recently, the waste-to-energy incineration industries were classified by the CPCB as a ‘red category’.

About Revised “Classification of Sectors into Red, Orange, Green, White and Blue Categories” Report 2025

• Incentive: The EES sector or the “Blue Category sector” will get an additional 2 years validity for consent to operate (as per Pollution Index) as an incentive for the essential services.
• Principle: The Revised categorisation is based on “precautionary principle” or potential of industries to pollute the environment.
• Category Sector Index: The category of the sector is decided based on the following ranges of Pollution Index,
  • Red: Pollution Index score more than 80
  • Orange: Pollution Index score between 55 and 80
  • Green: Pollution Index score between 25 and 55
  • White: These are practically non polluting Industries with a score less than 25.
• Industries Included: The category includes a total of 9 industries,
  • Compressed Biogas Plants: CBG plants based on feedstock like municipal solid waste, agro-residue, energy crops/grass/weeds, etc 
    • CBG plants based on industrial or process waste will continue to be in the red category.
  • Others: Composting, biogas, material recovery facilities, Waste to Energy Plants and sewage treatment plants.

About Categorisation of Industrial Sectors 2025

• Origin: The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in 2016 has developed a scoring methodology based on the Pollution Index (PI) to harmonize the criteria for categorizing industries.
  • The Pollution Index (PI) was determined by evaluating water pollution, air pollution, and hazardous waste generation
• Objective: The categorisation of Industries has been introduced for facilitating decisions related to the location of the industries, formulation of norms for inspection and surveillance, pollution caused and health impacts.
• Methodology:
  • Water Pollutant Score (PIW): Assesses the water pollution potential considering the oxygen demand of wastewater, other pollutants in the wastewater and quantity of wastewater generated.
  • Air Pollutant Score (PIA): Evaluates the potential air pollution due to process emissions (point source), work zone emissions (fugitive and odour) and type & quantity of fuel used.
  • Waste Pollutant Score (PIH): Considering the type and quantity of waste (which are hazardous/toxic/infectious/bulk in nature) generated.