Diwali 2025: What are green crackers? Are these really pollution-free? Top FAQs answered

Last week, the Supreme Court permitted the sale and bursting of green crackers in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) between October 18 and 21 for Diwali.

Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai directed the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the State PCB to monitor the Air Quality Index (AQI) from 18 October and submit the report to the court.

The permission for green crackers in Delhi-NCR until 21 October is a temporary measure, the top court said. The order and the subsequent instructions issued by Delhi Police the next day drew a clear boundary between the green crackers and the conventional ones that are banned.

What exactly are green crackers?

In accordance with the Supreme Court order, green crackers have been on sale since Saturday, October 18, two days ahead of Diwali. But how does one identify what a green cracker is?

"Sale of green cracker will be permitted from 18th October to 21st October. Police authority to constitute patrolling team to keep an eye that only permitted products with QR codes are to be sold," Bar and Bench quoted from the SC order.

Each packet of green crackers has a verified QR code that identifies it as ‘green’. Anything without this QR code is not a green cracker.

These green crackers are fireworks developed by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI). These are made by reducing the size of the shells, eliminating ash, using fewer raw materials, and adding dust-suppressing additives.

These changes are said to result in at least a 30 per cent reduction in particulate matter (PM) and a further 10% reduction in gaseous emissions, such as sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NO2), compared to traditional or conventional crackers.

When did green crackers start appearing in markets?

Green crackers were developed after the Supreme Court’s intervention many years ago, raising concerns over public health emergencies during Diwali. Air Quality in Delhi-NCR plunged to life-threatening ‘severe’ or ‘hazardous’ (AQI 500+) levels during Diwali in 2016 and 2017.

This led to the landmark 2018 Supreme Court judgment established a fundamental principle that cultural practices cannot supersede the Fundamental Right to Life (Article 21).

The Court banned traditional firecrackers that use harmful heavy metals such as barium nitrate, and directed manufacturers to develop less-polluting alternatives.

CSIR started developing green crackers after this order. The Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO), under the Union Commerce Ministry, was given the mandate to test the efficacy of the final product.

How are green crackers different?

In conventional firecrackers, chemicals such as barium, sulphur, potassium nitrate, and aluminium are used to produce bright colours and loud noises. They also release heavy metals and toxic gases into the air.

But green crackers exclude barium compounds, and have drastically reduced aluminium and sulphur content. They rely on cleaner oxidisers and formulations that limit the release of harmful particulates.

Green crackers are available in familiar forms such as flower pots (anaar), pencils, sparklers (phuljhadi), bombs, and chakkars, but with modified chemistry.

What are the different types of green crackers?

Three types of green crackers have been developed – SWAS (Safe Water Releasable), STAR (Safe Thermite Cracker), and SAFAL (Safe Minimal Aluminium), which produce brightness and sound comparable to conventional firecrackers (around 100 to 120 dB), while reducing particulate matter (PM), SO2, and NO2 emissions by at least 30 per cent.

How do you identify a green cracker?

Green crackers have two mandatory features introduced by CSIR-NEERI. These are (i) the official Green Fireworks logo printed on the packaging, and (ii) a unique QR code that can be scanned using the ‘CSIR-NEERI Green QR Code’ mobile app.

Scanning the code provides details about the manufacturer, formulation, and NEERI certification status of the product.

Only crackers that have both the logo and the QR code are authorised for sale and use.

The patrolling teams of Delhi Police, which also have officials from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), usually inspect the sale of crackers.

Are green crackers pollution-free?

Green crackers are not entirely pollution-free. As mentioned above, these crackers emit 30 per cent less particulate matter in a lab setting.

So the impact would depend on how many green crackers are used. In Delhi, for example, where firecrackers were entirely banned in 2024, thousands of kilograms of crackers were seized.

What was the AQI of Delhi on Diwali morning?

Delhi recorded “severe” Air Quality Index (AQI) levels on Monday morning, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The recorded AQI at 411 near Akshardham, while it was 352 near the Barapullah bridge.

The forecast for the next few days shows a continuing pattern. Air quality is predicted to worsen and reach the "severe" level on Tuesday and Wednesday as people celebrate Diwali.