Express News Service
NEW DELHI: The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has released a quality control order related to footwear, bulletproof jackets and protective clothing for firefighters.
The order is in alignment with international standards and will help domestic producers improve the quality of their products and curb sub-standard imports from countries like China. India is the second largest producer and consumer of these products, while China topped.
However, India’s contribution to global export was only 1.8%, while China’s contribution stood at 65% in 2018. Large and medium-scale footwear manufacturers and all importers will have to follow the mandatory quality standards for 24 footwear and related products from July 1, 2024.
For small-scale footwear makers, the deadline is January 1, 2024, while for the micro footwear industry, the mandatory quality standards will be applicable from July 1, 2024, said Pramod Kumar Tiwari, Director General, BIS. The standards prescribe what kind of raw material — like leather, PVC and rubber — is to be used in making footwear, besides delineating the norms on making soles and heels, among other parts of the footwear.
Quality control standards lay down a bare minimum benchmark for a product to benefit consumers and control the import of sub-quality products. The 24 footwear products on which the quality standards will apply include rubber gum boots, PVC sandals, rubber hawai chappals, slippers, moulded plastic footwear, footwear used for municipal scavenging work, sports footwear, derby shoes and anti-riot shoes, moulded solid rubber soles and heels, among others. With this, the total number of footwear products under the QCO (quality control order) stands at 27 out of 54.
“For the rest of the footwear products, we will release QCO in coming six months,” Tiwary said. India has so far developed 17 footwear testing labs. He also shared that the BIS has revised five standards on footwear specifications, and the industry has been given an additional time of six months till January 1, 2024, to comply with the QCOs.
Apart from this, the BIS director general said that mandatory compliance of quality standards for making ‘protective clothing for firefighting’ as well as ‘19 geo-textiles-related products’ will come into force from October 10 this year.
NEW DELHI: The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has released a quality control order related to footwear, bulletproof jackets and protective clothing for firefighters.
The order is in alignment with international standards and will help domestic producers improve the quality of their products and curb sub-standard imports from countries like China. India is the second largest producer and consumer of these products, while China topped.
However, India’s contribution to global export was only 1.8%, while China’s contribution stood at 65% in 2018. Large and medium-scale footwear manufacturers and all importers will have to follow the mandatory quality standards for 24 footwear and related products from July 1, 2024. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-1687167573941-0’); });
For small-scale footwear makers, the deadline is January 1, 2024, while for the micro footwear industry, the mandatory quality standards will be applicable from July 1, 2024, said Pramod Kumar Tiwari, Director General, BIS. The standards prescribe what kind of raw material — like leather, PVC and rubber — is to be used in making footwear, besides delineating the norms on making soles and heels, among other parts of the footwear.
Quality control standards lay down a bare minimum benchmark for a product to benefit consumers and control the import of sub-quality products. The 24 footwear products on which the quality standards will apply include rubber gum boots, PVC sandals, rubber hawai chappals, slippers, moulded plastic footwear, footwear used for municipal scavenging work, sports footwear, derby shoes and anti-riot shoes, moulded solid rubber soles and heels, among others. With this, the total number of footwear products under the QCO (quality control order) stands at 27 out of 54.
“For the rest of the footwear products, we will release QCO in coming six months,” Tiwary said. India has so far developed 17 footwear testing labs. He also shared that the BIS has revised five standards on footwear specifications, and the industry has been given an additional time of six months till January 1, 2024, to comply with the QCOs.
Apart from this, the BIS director general said that mandatory compliance of quality standards for making ‘protective clothing for firefighting’ as well as ‘19 geo-textiles-related products’ will come into force from October 10 this year.
