Carrier is the latest multinational company to sue India for electronic waste regulations

The Indian unit for the U.S. Air Conditioning giant Carrier is the latest large firm to file a lawsuit against Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the electronic waste regulations that have increased the fees manufacturers are required to pay to recyclers.

The High Court of Delhi will hear the cases of Tata Voltas, Daikin of Japan and Samsung Electronics of South Korea on Tuesday. The companies all want the rules to be thrown out.

India's government claims that only 43% (of the country's electronic waste) was recycled last year.

Modi's Government in September set a minimum price that electronic makers must pay to recyclers. The manufacturers claim this is three-to-four times more than they previously paid.

Carrier stated in a 380 page court document dated June 3 that recyclers are willing to continue working at the old prices. The government should not intervene in private deals between companies and recycling firms.

Carrier Airconditioning & Refrigeration submitted submissions that were reviewed and stated: "The producers have been forced to bear the burden of benefiting the recyclers, which is unfair.

In the submissions, it was stated that the new rules would impose "a huge financial burden" on a company.

Carrier has not responded to a comment request.

India's Ministry of Environment did not answer any questions either. The government has argued before the court that pricing rules were necessary to ensure proper disposal of waste and were "reasonable".

According to the new rules, a minimum of 22 rupees is required per kilogram for recycling consumer electronics. According to Redseer, these rates are lower than those in the U.S. where they can be up to five-times higher.

Carrier reported sales in India of $248 millions last year, the highest since at least March 2020. In its filing, it said that the first air conditioning system installed in India was in Jaipur in 1936.

(source: Reuters)