Tamil Nadu: A green Diwali with less-emission crackers

Green crackers, aimed at reducing emissions by 30 to 35 per cent in line with a 2018 Supreme Court ruling, will make it to this year’s Diwali market in “good percentage.”

Fireworks manufacturers in Sivakasi, 540 km from here, say 60 per cent to 80 per cent of the crackers that go out of their factories to the market this season will carry the green cracker tag.

Only a handful of manufacturers brought out green products last year due to confusion with regard to the apex court order, but the number of firecrackers that meet the new standards aimed at reducing air pollution has grown substantially this year.

Fireworks manufacturers, who were initially reluctant in producing less-emission crackers, have quickly adapted to the change. The new products come with a QR code that can be used to check whether they are original.

Over 380 factories attached to the most-influential Tamil Nadu Fireworks and Amorces Manufacturers Association (TANFAMA) have tied-up with the Nagpur-based National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), one of the CSIR laboratories, for manufacturing less-emission crackers.

“Nearly 80 per cent of the products that will go out of Sivakasi this year will carry the green crackers tag. A lot of hard work, investment, and time have been spent on bringing out green crackers from our factories. The new products will reduce the emission of 2.5 particulate material by 30 to 35 percent,” P Ganesan, President of TANFAMA, told DH.

However, some manufacturers say the percentage may differ as many could have difficulties in producing the crackers with the new formula given by the NEERI due to the Covid-19 lockdown that affected production for over 45 days. Manufacturers affiliated with other associations have also signed MoUs with NEERI to manufacture green crackers.

While the transition has been a bit easy for big players, small producers have had difficulty in getting the MoUs signed and launching production.

The switch to green crackers has not resulted in any substantial increase in the price of the products, Ganesan said, adding that it should be “music to the ears” of the consumers.

Known as ‘Little Japan’ for its inimitable workforce, Sivakasi caters to 90 percent of the cracker needs of the country and makes business for over Rs 3,000 crores annually. Though illegal, smaller companies, who have not signed MoUs with NEERI, are also into manufacturing green crackers by getting required formulas from others.

NEERI has successfully made atom bombs, flowerpots, and sparklers without the usage of Barium Nitrate, a chemical considered indispensable to the industry.

Though the manufacturers have complied with the Supreme Court order, they are not too sure about how they will be received by the public as this is the first time green crackers will be used by millions.

“We have done our bit, but we do feel the performance of some products do not match their pre-green cracker era which we produced using a certain chemical. It is for the people to decide whether the product is good or bad. The performance needs to be assessed by the consumer and we will come to know that only after Deepavali,” a leading fireworks’ manufacturer told DH on condition of anonymity.

While some manufacturers still complain about green crackers, most of them have embraced the formula to stay in the business as the order came from the highest court of the land. Some are even enthusiastic as manufacturing of green crackers would them global with abundant opportunities for export.