As part of the government’s policies and objectives to promote “Ease of Doing Responsible Business,” the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, in cooperation with the Central Pollution Control Board, classed industries into “Red,” “Orange,” “Green,” and “White” categories.
The Pollution Index (PI) is used to categorize industrial sectors. The growing value of PI reflects the increasing degree of pollution load from the industrial sector, and the figure ranges from 0 to 100.
| Pollution Index (PI) | Category |
| 60 and above | Red |
| 41-59 | Orange |
| 21-40 | Green |
| up to 20 | White |
| S.No | Industrial Sector | S.No | Industrial Sector |
| 1 | Isolated storage of hazardous chemicals | 31 | Hotels (Big) |
| 2 | Automobile Manufacturing (integrated) | 32 | Lead acid battery -recyclers |
| 3 | Hazardous waste recycling (Spent cleared metal catalyst ) | 33 | Waste electrical and electronic recyclers |
| 4 | Lubricating oils and grease mfg. | 34 | Glue and gelatin |
| 5 | DG Set (> 5 MVA) | 35 | Mining and ore beneficiation |
| 6 | Carbon black & allied | 36 | Nuclear power plant |
| 7 | Lead acid battery | 37 | Pesticides |
| 8 | Phosphate rock processing | 38 | Photographic film /chemicals |
| 9 | Power generation plant | 39 | Yarn / Textile processing |
| 10 | Hazardous Waste Recyclers (Spent catalyst) | 40 | Chlor Alkali |
| 11 | Chlorinated hydrocarbons | 41 | Ship Breaking |
| 12 | Sugar | 42 | Oil and gas extraction |
| 13 | Fibre glass production | 43 | Metal surface treatment |
| 14 | Fire crackers | 44 | Tanneries |
| 15 | E-Waste Recyclers | 45 | Ports /harbor/jetties |
| 15 | Milk and dairy products | 46 | Synthetic fibers |
| 17 | Phosphorous | 47 | Thermal Power Plants |
| 18 | Pulp & Paper | 48 | Slaughter house |
| 19 | Coke making | 49 | Aluminium Smelter |
| 20 | Explosives / detonators | 50 | Copper Smelter |
| 21 | Paints varnishes, pigments | 51 | Fertilizer (basic) |
| 22 | Organic Chemicals | 52 | Integrated Iron & Steel |
| 23 | Airports and Commercial Air Strips | 53 | Pulp & Paper ( bleaching) |
| 24 | Asbestos | 54 | Zinc Smelter |
| 25 | Basic chemicals | 55 | Oil Refinery |
| 26 | Cement | 56 | Petrochemicals |
| 27 | Chlorates, per-chlorates & peroxides | 57 | Pharmaceuticals |
| 28 | Chlorine, fluorine, bromine, iodine | 58 | Pulp & Paper ( Large-Agro + wood), |
| 29 | Dyes and Dye- Intermediates | 59 | Distillery |
| 30 | Health-care Establishment | 60 | Railway locomotive work shop/ service centers |