India has introduced a biodegradable tax stamp for security labels used in the liquor industry, a move that will help the country meet its sustainability goals. 

According to The Economic Times, the next-gen stamp was introduced by the National Research Development Corp. to replace the annual use of 30 billion tax stamps that are mostly made from polyester, a product of petroleum that sheds microplastics. Plastic is also harmful to human health and has been linked to cancer, reproductive issues, asthma, and more. And finally, the production of plastic creates carbon pollution and other toxic gases that contribute to the planet's warming. 

Not only is the new stamp plastic-free, but it also features high-security inks and QR codes that prevent tampering. 

The development has been rolled out in Ladakh and Uttarakhand, and it supports India's broader goal of implementing eco-friendly technologies throughout industries. 

"We have already supplied over 1 crore [10 million] 'green' labels to Ladakh and are currently supplying more than 4 crore [40 million] such labels each quarter to the Uttarakhand government," said Nagrur Govindappa Lakshminarayan, business development head of NRDC, per the Times. "NRDC is also the nodal partner of [World Intellectual Property Organization] Green. Here we identify the green technologies all over the world and put them in the WIPO database."

While India has outlawed other single-use plastics, such as cutlery, straws, plates, earbuds, and balloons, the ban on plastic security labels in the liquor sector has been a long time coming. Since the country uses more liquor tax stamps than any nation in the world, the biodegradable stamp, called BioSHEAL, will be a major environmental benefit. 

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The stamp is in the commercial pilot stage, according to the Times, and includes "anti-counterfeiting features that support both physical and digital tracking."

"Biodegradable tax stamp developed by NRDC is a part of India's initiation into regenerative economy, which is going to be an essential component of the next industrial revolution," Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Dr. Jitendra Singh said.

NRDC is also working on other applications for the stamp, including export licensing, pharmaceutical packaging, and agrochemical labeling. 

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