The Indian authorities have finally decided to implement the Bureau of Indian standards (BIS) certification mandate on the polyethylene material for moulding and extrusion as of 5 January 2024. According to IS 7328:2020, all imported HDPE, LDPE and LLDPE that is classified as the PE material for moulding and extrusion must be BIS certified to be sold in the country.

The following PE types, however, are exempt from the certification: LDPE for extrusion coating, blown and cast films, all LDPE grades for pharmaceutical applications, LLDPE of butane, hexene and octene grades, all mLLDPE grades, mainstream PE grades for power cable, insulation jacketing and other applications, PE compounds for cable jacketing/sheathing, black and coloured PE 80 and PE 100 materials and PE reinforcement fillers.

Polyolefins Market Weekly previously got the information that the following foreign PE producers had already obtained BIS licences: EQUATE (Kuwait), Dow (the Netherlands, Spain), OQ (Oman), QAPCO (Qatar), QATOFIN Company Limited (Qatar), Western Siberian Petrochemical Company (Russia), SADARA (Saudi Arabia), Arabian Petrochemical Company (Saudi Arabia), SHARQ (Saudi Arabia), Saudi Ethylene and Polyethylene Company (Saudi Arabia), Saudi Kayan Petrochemical Company, Saudi Yanbu Petrochemical Co (Saudi Arabia), YANSAB (Saudi Arabia), DL Chemical Co (South Korea), Hanwha Solutions Corporation (South Korea), Korea Nexelene Company (South Korea), LG Chem (South Korea), Lotte Chemical (South Korea), SK Geo Centric (South Korea), Bandar Imam Petrochemical Company (Iran), Chevron Philips (Singapore), Prime Evolue (Singapore), PTT Global Chemical (Thailand), Siam Polyethylene Company (Thailand) and Thai Polyethylene Company (Thailand).