Have ‘green’ crackers brought down pollution?

For Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international Significance

For Mains Examination: GS III - Environment and Ecology

Context:

In the run-up to Deepavali, the Supreme Court legalised the sale of “green” crackers, in a bid to balance three competing interests: the “sentiments” of the people during the festive season; the pollution caused due to the burning of firecrackers; and livelihood concerns of those employed in the firecracker industry. The largely small-scale informal sector has been hit by the cracker ban in the National Capital Region since 2018.

Read about:

CSIR-National Environmental and Engineering Research Institute (NEERI)

Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM)

Key takeaways:

How are ‘green’ crackers made?

• In 2018, the CSIR–National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) in Nagpur developed a new generation of firecrackers called “green crackers.” These were designed to reduce particulate emissions by 30% to 80%, without compromising on brightness, safety, or shelf life.
• The key innovation lay in altering the chemical composition — replacing harmful compounds like barium nitrate and antimony with safer alternatives. The modifications included using zeolite additives, boron-based compounds that release water to suppress dust, and metallic composites that enhance combustion efficiency and temperature.
• For instance, the eco-friendly version of the popular “flower pot” cracker contains a blend of water and lime, which releases moisture during combustion, helping dust particles settle rather than remain airborne.
• NEERI’s tests reportedly showed a 30% drop in particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), alongside lower emissions of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides.
• Similarly, the “SWAS” bomb formulation uses a mix of potassium nitrate, aluminium, sulphur, and proprietary additives to achieve similar emission reductions. These innovations have been showcased in fireworks hubs like Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu

What has been the uptake?

• NEERI also established a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for registering manufacturers and transferring green cracker technology. Only producers licensed by the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) can register with NEERI. As of this year, nearly 1,500 manufacturers, mostly from Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, have obtained such licences.
• However, the term “green cracker” is somewhat misleading, as these products are not completely emission-free. In fact, NEERI researchers have described them as “Reduced Emission Fireworks” — a more accurate label. Despite this, the Supreme Court continues to refer to them as “green” in official orders

Are they really less polluting?

• Although laboratory tests suggest a 30% reduction in particulate pollution, there is limited real-world verification of these claims. The Supreme Court, while acknowledging the innovation, noted that overall air quality levels between 2018 and 2024 have not shown significant improvement.