The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Chennai Branch Office, participated in a workshop on "Promoting Lead-Safe Aluminium Cookware: Awareness on Manufacturing Standards, Certification, and Consumer Safety" organised by the Citizen Consumer and Civic Action Group (CAG) in collaboration with Pure Earth India on 27 August 2026 in Chennai. The workshop brought together aluminium cookware manufacturers, industry representatives, consumer organisations and other stakeholders to promote awareness on Indian Standards, certification requirements and consumer safety.

Addressing the participants, Shri S. D. Dayanand, Scientist–F & Senior Director, BIS Chennai Branch Office, highlighted the importance of complying with Indian Standard IS 1660 for aluminium cookware towards ensuring product quality and consumer safety. He urged manufacturers to strictly avoid the use of toxic substances in the manufacturing process and emphasized the need to obtain BIS Certification and comply with the applicable Quality Control Order (QCO) for aluminium utensils. He informed the participants that the Government has provided adequate transition time for implementation of the QCO, with compliance becoming mandatory from 1 October 2026 for Large and Medium Enterprises, 01 January 2027 for Small Enterprises and 01 April 2027 for Micro Enterprises. He urged manufacturers to utilize the transition period to obtain BIS Certification and align their manufacturing processes with the requirements of the relevant Indian Standards. He further informed that, after the respective dates of implementation, aluminium cookware covered under the QCO cannot be manufactured, stored, sold, imported or distributed without a valid BIS Licence and the Standard Mark (ISI Mark), as stipulated under the Order.

Shri S. D. Dayanand also emphasized the importance of using quality raw materials conforming to the relevant Indian Standards, including IS 21 and IS 737, in the manufacture of aluminium cookware. He stated that adherence to these standards, along with IS 1660, ensures the safety, quality and reliability of the products, enhances consumer confidence and strengthens the market credibility of manufacturers by demonstrating conformity to nationally recognized standards that are also aligned with global quality expectations. He appreciated the initiative of the Citizen Consumer and Civic Action Group (CAG) and Pure Earth India in creating awareness among manufacturers and consumers on the importance of lead-safe aluminium cookware and promoting safer products for public use.

A technical session on IS 1660 – Aluminium Cookware and BIS Certification was delivered by Shri Hitesh Yadav, Scientist–C & Deputy Director, BIS Chennai Branch Office. He explained the process of formulation of Indian Standards through technical committees comprising representatives from industry, government, research institutions, consumer organisations and other stakeholders, ensuring that standards are developed through a transparent and consultative mechanism. He also elaborated on the procedure for obtaining BIS Certification, the importance of compliance with Indian Standards and the role of BIS in promoting quality assurance across industries.

During his presentation, Shri Hitesh Yadav highlighted the various support measures extended by BIS to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to facilitate certification. He informed the participants that BIS provides 80% concession on Annual Minimum Marking Fee for Micro Enterprises and Start-up Enterprises, 50% concession for Small Enterprises, 20% concession for Medium Enterprises and an additional 10% concession for women entrepreneur-led enterprises, making certification more affordable and accessible for MSMEs.
The workshop concluded with an interactive session where participants actively engaged with BIS officials on lead-safe aluminium cookware, manufacturing practices, certification requirements and regulatory compliance. The programme witnessed encouraging participation from aluminium cookware manufacturers, industry stakeholders and consumer organisations, reaffirming BIS Chennai's commitment towards promoting standardization, quality consciousness and consumer safety through stakeholder engagement. Participants were encouraged to obtain BIS Certification and adopt Indian Standards to ensure the availability of safe and quality-assured aluminium cookware for consumers. Consumers and industry stakeholders were also advised to verify the authenticity of ISI Mark, Hallmark and CRS registrations through the BIS Care App, BIS portal or by scanning the QR Code, wherever applicable.

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