MSME Sustainable (ZED) Certification Scheme ZED
A subsidised Zero Defect Zero Effect certificate at Bronze, Silver or Gold level that rates an MSME's quality and environmental practices and unlocks incentives from banks, states and the ministry.
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- Cost to apply
- Registration and pledge are free. Certification fee is ₹10,000 to ₹90,000 before subsidy.
- Status
- Open
- Run by
- Ministry of MSME, run with the Quality Council of India
What you get
- Subsidy on the cost of certification of 80% for micro, 60% for small and 50% for medium enterprises
- 100% subsidy, so free certification, for women owned MSMEs at all levels
- Extra 10% subsidy for SC or ST owned MSMEs or units in the North East, Himalayan, LWE, island or aspirational districts
- Extra 5% subsidy for units in SFURTI or MSE-CDP clusters
- One-time joining reward of ₹10,000 after taking the ZED Pledge, valid for one year, which can make Bronze certification free
- Certification cost before subsidy is ₹10,000 for Bronze, ₹40,000 for Silver and ₹90,000 for Gold
- Help with consultancy (handholding) up to ₹2 lakh including taxes, once in a ZED cycle
- ZED certified units can claim up to 75% of the cost of testing, management system or product certification, capped at ₹50,000
Who can apply
- Businesses that are already running.
- Open to businesses in manufacturing and services.
- Micro, small and medium enterprises.
- Udyam registration is needed. It is free.
- All MSMEs registered on Udyam can take part
- Each unit under one Udyam Registration applies separately
How to apply
- Register free on zed.msme.gov.in with the Udyam number
- Take the ZED Pledge and get the ZED ID and pledge certificate
- Apply online for Bronze, Silver or Gold and submit the undertaking
- An accredited assessment agency reviews the evidence, and you can close any gaps within a set time
- The ZED certificate is issued on the agency's recommendation
Head office
Documents to keep ready
- Udyam Registration certificate
- Evidence documents uploaded for the chosen level
Figures you may see elsewhere
The ZED FAQ says women owned units get an extra 10% subsidy. The subsidy page says women owned units get 100% subsidy at all levels. The subsidy page is shown.
Worth knowing
Launched 28 April 2022. Portal live in November 2026. By late 2025 about 2.71 lakh MSMEs had registered and 1.93 lakh were certified.
Where we found this
- ZED portal, subsidy on cost of certification (external site) Official
- ZED portal, FAQs on fees and handholding (external site) Official
- ZED portal, benefits and incentives (external site) Official
- ZED portal, certification process (external site) Official
- PIB, Year End Review 2025, Ministry of MSME (external site) Official announcement
An independent guide by The Company of Four, not a government website. Schemes change often, so check every detail on the official website before you apply. Links marked ↗ open external websites that we do not run, and we are not responsible for their content. Seen something out of date? Tell us and we will look into it.