Pollution is a huge problem all over the world. Many methods are used to reduce or remove carbon dioxide (CO₂) or other greenhouse gases (GHG). Carbon credit is a way to improve this system. Carbon credits are mainly purchased by industries that emit large amounts of GHG or carbon. They have to meet legal or voluntary targets to reduce pollution. This is a matter of carbon credit.
Now let's talk about pollution, as the increase in pollution increases the market of air purifiers especially in India. Air purifier manufacturing companies talk about providing clean air to people due to increasing pollution. What role do they play in causing disturbance in this situation? Let us understand. Carbon credits should be purchased by every company that pollutes in some form or the other. The question arises whether the company manufacturing air purifiers is fulfilling its own responsibilities or not.
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How do carbon credits work?
A carbon credit means that the holder is allowed to emit 1 tonne of CO₂ or its equivalent GHG. Companies or projects that reduce pollution, such as solar, wind power or planting trees, earn carbon credits. Companies that pollute more than the prescribed limit buy these credits from companies that pollute less or work for the environment.
Now let's talk about the companies making air purifiers, which talk about providing clean air to the people due to increasing pollution. But do these companies increase the amount of pollution by making machines using such technology? At the same time, considering it as her responsibility, she also tries to reduce it or not.
Removing PM2.5 does not provide 'carbon credit'
As soon as the winter season arrives, the sales of air purifiers suddenly start increasing in the metropolitan cities of the country. Air purifiers worth thousands of crores of rupees are sold every year with tempting promises like 'clean air', '99.9% bacteria-free' and 'green technology'. Have you ever wondered whether the machine that is removing poisonous PM2.5 and dust from the air inside your room is really 'green' for the environment? Or can the companies making it also earn money from the carbon market in exchange for this 'clean air'? In general, companies making air purifiers do not purchase carbon credits.
Many people believe that if air purifiers are saving the environment, they would get carbon credits. But the reality is just the opposite. The air purifier only traps local pollutants like PM2.5, PM10, dust in the filter. Carbon credits are only earned if the amount of CO2 or GHGs emitted from the air is reduced in a measurable way. India's official Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS) and Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) do not have any recognized rules for generating carbon credits from indoor air purifiers.
This is the biggest contradiction. The machine we bring home thinking it is 'green' emits carbon throughout its lifecycle. If the electricity coming to run the purifier in your house is being generated from coal, then it is cleaning the air inside the room but is increasing CO2 emissions in the world outside the room.
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The truth about companies' ESG reporting
Brands make tall claims about environmental protection in their reports, but it is important to closely understand their connection with purifiers. Eureka Forbes is the largest company in this sector in India. According to the FY26 report, the company has reduced its carbon emissions by 4% and adopted 20% renewable energy. But this shortage is because of their factories and not because of the air purifiers sold by them.
Philips company is working on Net-Zero and EcoDesign by 2045. It has a net operational carbon footprint of zero in India but this is due to their entire global business operations. Talking about Coway, it is working on reducing emissions and recycling by 50% by 2030 but they also do not claim to generate credits directly from purifiers. Xiaomi aims for carbon neutrality by 2040 and adopts a lifecycle approach. But their purifier also does not give carbon credits directly.