Why Small Footwear Manufacturers Are Struggling with BIS Certification Requirements?

•  11 Jan, 2025
•  ISI Certification (BIS)

Presently, small footwear manufacturers in India are experiencing major issues stemming from the BIS certification standard requirements. Policies introduced to encourage quality and safety within the footwear industry are probably the most rigid, as they set high barriers that smaller players cannot easily meet.

This has been evident in the BIS certification process, which was intended to help build confidence in consumers and meet international standards but ended up being a hindrance because most small-scale manufacturers cannot afford to fund and meet the requirements of BIS certification. Now, let us deep dive into the issues faced by small footwear manufacturers in compliance with BIS certification requirements.

Issues faced by the small footwear industry in complying with BIS certification requirements:

The first issue to address relates to the costs that are incurred in order to meet the requirements of compliance. Small-scale manufacturers have limited resources in terms of financial capital and are unlikely to find the costs associated with testing, certification, and conversion of their machines to BIS standards.

The costs of training the workers to change their attitudes and practices to match the new quality control measures also pose a financial risk to them. To these manufacturers, operating on slim margins, to begin with, certification costs sometimes run beyond their annual turnover, which implies that corners must be cut or businesses shut down entirely.

The last difficulty is that BIS certification Process are quite elaborate. Managing the regulatory environment requires a lot of paperwork, product certification, and compliance with technical standards that could easily overwhelm SMEs with limited bureaucratic expertise.

Large corporations have compliance departments to oversee such intricate procedures, and most small businesses do not have the depth of experience required to address them. Hence, for small businesses, delays in obtaining certification can lead to production hold-ups, missed deadlines, loss of customers, and further deepening of financial instability.

Also, the support infrastructure is not well developed to meet such demands. Many of the testing facilities accredited by BIS are situated in large cities, thus presenting a challenge of accessibility and cost to the manufacturers who are situated in the rural or semi-urban setup. Due to hindrances in the transportation of samples and the longer processing time required for results, the small manufacturers are stretched even more. A lot of respondents also mention infrequent interactions and direction from BIS officials as well as having a limited understanding of particular regulations and changes.

On top of the rivals, the pressure created by the cheap imports serves to make it even more challenging. Foreign producers who enjoy sophisticated technology and scale economies are more capable of complying with BIS standards, hence gaining a larger portion of the market. Most of the small Indian manufacturers find it difficult to provide these necessities, and thus they can’t compete with the international companies effectively.

Few of the mandatory Footwear products are as below:

• BIS Certification for Footwear for Men and Women for Municipal Scavenging Work IS 16994
• BIS Certification for Moulded Plastics Footwear (Industrial PU Boots) IS 16645
• BIS Certification for Leather Safety Footwear Having Direct Moulded Rubber Sole IS 11226
• BIS Certification for Leather Safety Footwear with Direct Moulded Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Sole IS 14544
• BIS Certification for Sports Footwear IS 15844
• BIS Certification for Personal Protective Equipment – PART 2 SAFETY FOOTWEAR IS 15298 PART 2

Potential Solutions Small Footwear Manufacturer:

To overcome these challenges, new strategies should be developed for the government and BIS, and they need to expand their cooperation. Reduced costs of certification, ease of steps to compliance, and greater accessibility of settings could go a long way in helping.

The support centers on a regional basis, training sessions, and other initiatives can also strengthen the small manufacturer's orientation without significant threats to their financial stability. In their absence, the imprudent application of BIS regulations might cost many small footwear manufacturing companies their business, which is contrary to the rationale behind the quest for a vibrant industry to compete effectively in the international market.

In their absence, the imprudent application of BIS regulations might cost many small footwear manufacturing companies their business, which is contrary to the rationale behind the quest for a vibrant industry to compete effectively in the international market.