Chicago – April 12, 2025
India wants to tackle its mounting e-waste problem. Global electronics companies say the cost is too high.
Daikin, Hitachi and Samsung are among manufacturers alarmed by new Indian government rules that require them to pay significantly more to recycle air conditioners, refrigerators, TVs and other appliances, court papers and lobbying letters show.
The electronics giants are urging environment officials to abandon the approach, with four companies suing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration in New Delhi over the measures they say will heighten compliance woes and unsettle businesses.
The previously unreported standoff marks the latest chapter in foreign companies’ battles with India over what some perceive as protectionist policies and shifting regulatory goal posts.
India is the third-biggest e-waste generator behind China and the U.S. But government data shows only 43% of the country’s e-waste last year was recycled and at least 80% of the sector comprises informal scrap dealers, whose methods can pose environmental and health risks.
