Quality Control Norms for Leather Footwear

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has issued a notification regarding the quality control norms for leather footwear, to contain imports and the production of sub-standard products in India. This notification covers different leather footwear, including anti-riot shoes. 

As per the notification, this order will come into force from 27 October 2020. The DPIIT issued three orders which cover different leather and rubber products. The orders issued are ‘Footwear made from Leather and other materials (Quality Control) Order, 2020’, ‘Footwear made from all-Rubber and all Polymeric material and its components (Quality Control) Order, 2020’ and ‘Personal Protective Equipment Footwear (Quality Control) Order, 2020’.

The products covered in the order ‘Footwear made from Leather and other materials (Quality Control) Order, 2020’ are leather safety shoes and boots, sports footwear, canvas shoes rubber sole, canvas boots rubber sole, anti-riot shoes and derby shoes.

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The products covered in the order ‘Footwear made from all-Rubber and all Polymeric material and its components (Quality Control) Order, 2020’ are PVC sandal, industrial and protective rubber knee and ankle boots, rubber microcellular sheets, all rubber gumboots and ankle boots, rubber hawai chappal, PVC industrial boots, rubber slippers etc. This order covers the quality control norms for footwear made from all rubber and polymeric material and its components.

The order ‘Personal Protective Equipment Footwear (Quality Control) Order, 2020’ covers the personal protective equipment-footwear. All three orders provide that the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is the certifying and enforcement authority for the products mentioned in the order. 

All three orders provide that the footwear products covered under them have to conform to the specified standards and also have the standard mark licence obtained from the BIS. These items cannot be sold or traded, produced, stocked and imported unless they have the BIS mark. However, these orders which provide new quality control norms will not apply to articles or goods meant for export purposes.

The DPIIT has also issued quality control norms for other goods which include certain steel items, pressure cookers and cables. These three orders have come at a time when the government is working to formulate technical regulations, including the safety and quality standards for over 350 products. They have been issued to cut imports of non-essential items.

For any clarifications/feedback on the topic, please contact the writer at

mayashree.acharya@cleartax.in