US Firm Carrier Also Sues India Over E-Waste Rules
NEW DELHI – Carrier’s Indian unit has filed a lawsuit against the Modi government over new electronic waste (e-waste) recycling rules that sharply increase the fees manufacturers must pay recyclers—becoming the latest global firm to push back against the regulations.
As Reuters reports, Carrier joins other major companies including Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, Daikin, and Tata-owned Voltas in challenging the pricing mandates, which are set to be reviewed by the Delhi High Court on July 8. All of the firms are seeking to have the rules struck down, arguing they are financially burdensome and unfair.
India, the world’s third-largest generator of e-waste after China and the United States, implemented new recycling norms last September. The updated rules set a minimum payment of ₹22 per kilogram that producers must pay to authorized recyclers—a rate manufacturers say is three to four times higher than previous market rates.
In a 380-page court filing dated June 3, reviewed by Reuters, Carrier contends that the government’s interference is unnecessary and unjustified. The company argued that recyclers were willing to operate under the older rates, and that the government should not impose pricing on private contracts. Carrier’s submission stated the new rules place an “unfair and arbitrary” burden on producers and warned of a “huge financial burden” on its operations.
Carrier, which posted $248 million in India sales last year and installed the country’s first air conditioning system in Jaipur in 1936, is the latest in a string of multinationals clashing with India’s tightening environmental rules.
The Ministry of Environment, however, maintains that the price floor is a “reasonable” policy aimed at boosting recycling efficiency. Official data shows only 43% of India’s e-waste was properly recycled last year.
