The central government has temporarily suspended the Linear Alkyl Benzene (Quality Control) Order, 2022, for three months from July 1 to September 30, 2026, citing global supply chain disruptions and the need to ensure continued domestic availability of the chemical. The order, issued as S.O. 3456(E) by the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers (Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals) on June 25, 2026, and signed by Dr. G. Venkatesh, Joint Secretary, amends the original Quality Control Order published on April 5, 2022, vide S.O. 1648(E).
Background of the Quality Control Order
The Linear Alkyl Benzene (Quality Control) Order, 2022 was originally notified in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Section 3, Sub-section (ii), under Section 16 of the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016 (11 of 2016). The order mandated quality standards for Linear Alkyl Benzene (LAB) — a key petrochemical intermediate used primarily in the manufacture of Linear Alkyl Benzene Sulphonate (LABS), which is the principal raw material in the production of synthetic detergents and surfactants widely used across household and industrial cleaning products. The quality control order was last amended vide notification S.O. 1655(E), dated March 30, 2026.
Reason for Suspension
The government, in consultation with the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), took cognisance of prevailing global supply chain disruptions and determined that a temporary suspension of the quality control mandate was necessary and expedient to ensure uninterrupted availability of Linear Alkyl Benzene in the domestic market. The notification states that the suspension has been effected in exercise of powers conferred by Section 16 read with Sub-section (3) of Section 25 of the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016, and is being carried out in the public interest.
Details of the Suspension
The amendment substitutes the proviso in Paragraph 2 of the Linear Alkyl Benzene (Quality Control) Order, 2022, to carve out an exemption window running from July 1 to September 30. During this period, the mandatory quality control requirements under the 2022 Order will not be operative, effectively allowing LAB to be procured and sold in the domestic market without the Bureau of Indian Standards certification requirement that would otherwise apply.
Impact on Detergent Manufacturing Sector
Linear Alkyl Benzene is a critical input in India's fast-moving consumer goods and detergent manufacturing sector. Any shortage or supply disruption in LAB directly impacts the production of household detergents, washing powders, and liquid cleaning agents — products that are consumed across all economic segments of the population. The temporary suspension signals that the government has assessed the supply situation as sufficiently stressed to warrant regulatory relaxation, while keeping the window limited to three months — suggesting an expectation that global supply chains will normalise within this period or that alternate sourcing arrangements will be secured.
