Diwali firecrackers cause raging debates every year around this time due to rising air pollution levels, especially in the Delhi-National Capital Region. Attempts at banning firecrackers have had a mixed effect, with many brazenly flouting the rules.
The Supreme Court has stepped in once again. Earlier this month, the court conditionally allowed the use of certified 'green crackers', acknowledging the need to balance celebration with public health.
While this promises a cleaner alternative, the critical question remains -- are green crackers a genuine solution or mere 'greenwashing' that fails to address the severity of air pollution? Mint explains:
The legal battle over firecrackers was sparked by a public health emergency. Air quality in Delhi-NCR plunged to life-threatening 'severe' or 'hazardous' (AQI 500+) levels during Diwali in 2016 and 2017.
This led to the landmark 2018 Supreme Court judgment in the case ofArjun Gopal vs. Union of India. The ruling established a fundamental principle that cultural practices cannot supersede the Fundamental Right to Life (Article 21).
In its ruling, the Supreme Court banned traditional firecrackers that use harmful heavy metals such as barium nitrate, and directed manufacturers to develop less-polluting alternatives. This decision was the genesis of the green cracker concept, shifting the approach from total prohibition to regulated, transitional reform.
Despite the 2018 ruling, Delhi's continuing air crisis has led government agencies, including the National Green Tribunal and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee, to ban all crackers, including the green variety, every year since 2020. To be sure, burning of farm stubble in neighbouring states also contributes to Delhi's pollution crisis during winters.
The Supreme Court's recent order to conditionally allow green crackers was delivered in the context of the M.C. Mehta vs Union of India case. The court explicitly allowed green crackers on a "test case basis", citing the failure of the absolute ban, which had resulted in the illegal use and smuggling of highly toxic, conventional crackers.
Following the Supreme Court's 2018 ruling, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) was tasked with facilitating the development of green crackers. The Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization (PESO), under the Union commerce ministry, was given the mandate to test the efficacy of the final product.
Green crackers are not entirely pollution-free; rather their formulation causes less pollution. According to CSIR-NEERI, only crackers that emit at least 30% less particulate matter, or 20% lower PM emissions along with a 10% reduction in the emission of gases such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, can be considered green.
Use of chemicals like barium nitrate, lithium, mercury, arsenic, and lead are banned, alongside measures such as eliminating the use of ash while requiring the use of dust-suppressant additives. Further, cracker sizes were required to be shrunk and their noise level to be below 125 decibels (dB) at a distance of four meters from the point of bursting.
CSIR-NEERI has released three proprietary green variants -- safe water releasers (SWAS), safe minimum aluminium (SAFAL), and safe thermite cracker (STAR).
The dramatic shift in regulations had a direct impact on firecracker manufacturers, especially those in Tamil Nadu's Sivakasi. The Tamil Nadu Fireworks and Amorces Manufacturers' Association (TANFAMA) estimates that Sivakasi accounts for 95% of India's firecracker production.
But many firecracker manufacturers were quick to see the writing on the wall and collaborated with CSIR-NEERI to come up with green alternatives. Manufacturers fronted 40% of the cost involved in setting up a specialized testing facility in Sivakasi under a public-private-partnership model.
The only centre for testing firecrackers until then was in Maharashtra's Nagpur, about 1,600 km away by road, which made the process time-consuming and inefficient.
TANFAMA's vice president G. Abiruben told news agency PTI that almost all firecracker manufacturers had shifted to green crackers, including small-scale producers.
According to CSIR-NEERI, approved green crackers emit 30% less particulate matter in a lab setting. But the effectiveness of this is often lost in the real world. The 30% reduction in emissions per cracker might seem significant, but considering the millions of crackers burst during Diwali, the emissions add up.
Despite the bans and severe restrictions, firecracker manufacturers in and around Sivakasi earned about ₹6,000 crore in sales last year, according to The Indian Fireworks Manufacturers Association. This shows the sheer volume of crackers sold during Diwali.
In Delhi, where firecrackers were entirely banned in 2024, thousands of kilograms of crackers were seized. Delhi residents burst firecrackers despite the ban.
Another significant challenge is that every batch and every variety of firecracker produced cannot be tested and certified. The question remains whether these crackers are truly green.
Considering the fragmented nature of India's firecracker industry and the fact that most producers and sellers are small-scale businesses, it is difficult for authorities and consumers to ascertain which crackers are really green and which are counterfeit.
To ensure traceability and authentication, the government and CSIR-NEERI mandated that all legally compliant green crackers carry an encrypted QR code linked to the manufacturer's licence and the official CSIR-NEERI or PESO logo. However, such packs can be easily copied.
It is only with strict policing and enforcement that fakes can be weeded out. But there are two challenges here. One is identifying whether a manufacturer is actually licensed to produce and distribute firecrackers. Two is testing whether such firecrackers meet the green standards. That's easier said than done. There's also the issue of consumer awareness, or lack of it. Most do not even look for the QR code.
Ultimately, while the chemistry of green crackers offers a possible solution to the perennial issue of Diwali-linked pollution and respiratory issues, the ability of such measures to deliver depends on enforcement and compliance. That's the hardest battle of all.