Plastic courier bags in 2027: thickness, marking and recycled content
A carry bag is the bag you take home from the sabziwala. A courier bag is closer to the envelope around a sealed letter. India's plastic rules treat the two very differently, and most of the confusion I hear comes from mixing them up.
First, what is a courier bag? It is a flat plastic mailer with no handles and a self-seal strip. You put the product inside, peel the liner, press the strip, and the bag stays sealed until the customer tears it open.
My answer for 2027 is this. A courier bag sealed around goods is not a "carry bag" under the Plastic Waste Management Rules, so the 120-micron carry-bag rule is not the one to check. What does apply is the printed marking (maker's name, registration number and thickness), and for brands covered by EPR, a recycled-content share for flexible plastic that doubles from 10% to 20% on 1 April 2027.
Checked against official sources on 28 October 2026.
Is a courier bag a carry bag under the plastic rules?
No, if it is sealed around the goods.
The rules define carry bags as plastic bags with a self-carrying feature, and then exclude bags that "constitute or form an integral part of the packaging" in which goods are sealed before use. That wording is in the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, and the 2022 EPR guidelines repeat it.
A courier bag has no handles to carry it by, and the goods are sealed inside it before they travel. It is packaging.
What thickness does a courier bag need?
Sellers ask this one often, so let me separate the two rules.
| Item | What the rules say | Since |
|---|---|---|
| Plastic carry bag, virgin or recycled | At least 120 microns | 31 December 2022 |
| Plastic sheet, or a cover made of plastic sheet used for packaging or wrapping goods | At least 50 microns, unless that thickness would spoil the product's function | 2016 rules |
| Courier bag | Not named in the rules |
The rules never use the words "courier bag". My reading, and I am not a lawyer, is that the 50-micron line for covers used for packaging is the closest fit. If your State or your auditor reads it differently, follow them.
Our own tamper-proof courier bags are listed at 60 micron LDPE, above that line either way.
We make plastic film and BOPP tape at JPPL in Jaipur, so here is a view from the film side. Thicker is not automatically better. Plastic is sold by weight, so a 120-micron courier bag would use about twice the film of a 60-micron one for the same size. You would pay for that plastic, and so would the environment, with no real gain against a knock. A courier bag keeps out rain, dust and prying hands. Cushioning is a different job.
What must be printed on a plastic courier bag?
Rule 11 of the plastic rules asks for three things, printed in English:
- The name of the producer or brand owner.
- Their registration number.
- The thickness, for carry bags and plastic packaging.
Since 1 July 2025, a producer or brand owner may give this information through a barcode or QR code instead, after informing CPCB. Several news sites called the QR code mandatory. The amendment of 23 January 2025 says "may". So a QR code is an option, not a new requirement.
For a plain courier bag, the details are usually the bag maker's. If you order bags custom-printed with your brand, ask your supplier whose name and number will go on them.
My advice is simple. Before you place a bulk order with any supplier, us included, ask for a clear photo of the marking on the actual bag. If they cannot send one, that tells you something.
What changes for courier bags on 1 April 2027?
Recycled content.
The Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2026 set minimum shares of recycled plastic for obligated producers, importers and brand owners. For Category II, i.e. flexible plastic packaging, sheets, covers, carry bags and pouches, the share is 10% in FY 2026-27 and 20% from 1 April 2027. A plain LDPE courier bag fits that category as the rules describe it.
Who has to meet it? Medium and large brand owners and all importers count the plastic packaging they put on the market. Micro and small brand owners are outside these EPR obligations. Small bag makers are a special case: micro and small producers still have to meet the recycled-content target themselves. Our guide on whether small online sellers need EPR registration explains who is who.
So bag makers who supply bigger brands will be asked for recycled content from April 2027. Smaller sellers will see those bags in the market too.
One caution. The rules allow recycled plastic to touch ready-to-eat food only where FSSAI standards permit it. A courier bag is for the outside of a parcel. Never put food straight into one, recycled or not.
How should a recycled-content courier bag be labelled?
Since 31 March 2026, recycled plastic packaging must conform to IS 14534:2023 and carry the label and mark set in Rule 11(2), showing that it contains recycled plastic. Food-contact packaging needs FSSAI's marking as well.
Two practical points follow:
- Colour tells you nothing. A grey or black bag is not proof of recycled content, and a white one is not proof of virgin film. The label is the proof.
- If a supplier claims a recycled share, ask for the percentage in writing and the recycler's details behind it. A brand that is obligated will need both for its annual return.
What we can say about our own courier bags
I would rather be precise than impressive here. We sell these bags every day, and we want you to know exactly what you are buying.
Our courier bags are 60 micron LDPE, opaque, with a self-seal tamper-evident strip and an attached POD jacket for the invoice. They come in six sizes, 6x8 to 14x18 inch, 100 bags to a pack. The listing makes no recycled-content claim, and I would not let anyone claim one on our behalf without a label to back it.
They also have a limit that has nothing to do with the law. A courier bag protects against rain and prying hands, not against knocks. For anything fragile, a padded paper mailer or a carton does that job better. If you are unsure of the size, our courier bag size chart maps sizes to products.
What should you do before 1 April 2027?
Here is a short checklist for anyone buying courier bags next year:
- Find out whether your business is obligated under EPR or not. Everything else depends on it.
- Ask every bag supplier for a photo of the printed name, registration number and thickness.
- Check the stated micron against your own order. A cheap micrometer settles arguments fast.
- If you are obligated, ask suppliers now what recycled share they can supply from April 2027, with documents.
- Keep your own records of bags bought per month by size. An obligated brand needs those numbers for the return due by 30 June.
- Never put food directly into a courier bag.
Questions sellers ask about courier bag rules
Is a 50-micron courier bag legal? On my reading, a courier bag sealed around goods sits under the 50-micron line for plastic covers used for packaging, not the 120-micron carry-bag line. The rules do not name courier bags, so check with your State Pollution Control Board if you need certainty.
Are biodegradable or compostable courier bags outside these rules? No. Compostable plastic is still covered, and a compostable carry bag must print the maker's certificate number. Treat any "biodegradable" claim with care and ask for the certificate.
Do I need a QR code on my courier bags in 2027? No. It is an option for printing the marking details, not a requirement.
This is not legal advice. Check your own obligations on the CPCB EPR portal (eprplastic.cpcb.gov.in) and with your CA or EPR professional.
