Overview relating to Import of Refurbished Electronics Product in India

With the increase in the buying capacity of people and the availability of cheaper technology, people usually prefer buying a new product to repairing the old one. As a result, the old products are discarded, adding to the ever-increasing mountains of E-Waste, which is not only toxic to environment but also harms human health. Therefore to address this problem, government authorities are encouraging the establishment of various units or plants where e-Waste can be either recycled or Refurbished.  Refurbishment, defined under E-Waste (Management), 2016, is “the repairing of used electrical & electronic equipment as listed in Schedule I for extending its working life for its originally intended use and selling the same in the market or returning to the owner.” According to this definition, the process of refurbishment clearly to rebuild or renovating the damaged electronic devices that are either discarded or replaced with the newer and improved components.

Some of the Electrical and Electronic equipment that can be easily refurbished include Cell phones, desktop, tablets and laptops. As per the latest notification of central authorities, the import of used or refurbished electronics and IT goods without registering first with the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is forbidden.

Eligibility for Import of Refurbished Electronics Products in India

To set up E-Waste recycling units, you must first obtain an E-Waste recycling Authorization, which must meet specific requirements: -

1. Before installing any plant or unit, the manufacturer must ensure that there is adequate space and area for operations as well as comfortable working conditions for staff.
2. Apart from land, the importer also required proper equipment and machines.
3. Then there's the matter of the refurbished Electrical and Electronic equipment, which needs to be fixed. A network of suppliers will be required for this, as well as an appropriate supply of refurbished materials. Land and workforce are two other necessities. The size of the import business determines these criteria.

Documents required for Import of Refurbished Electronics Product in India

• Details of the port where the products which are being imported are arriving
• Jurisdiction for import
• Permission Certificate from Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to import refurbished electronic products.
• Permission Certificate from State Pollution Control Board for importing refurbished electronic products.
• Name of the product which is to be imported
• Details of the export product with which the imported items are to be re-exported
• Legally binding agreement signed by both countries who are part of the import of refurbished electronic product
• Insurance documents of all the goods imported.
• BIS CSR certification, which the Bureau of Indian Standards issues.

Import of Refurbished Electronics Product License Process

The process of acquiring the license for Import of Refurbished Electronics products License in India is regulated and mandated by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and State Pollution Control Board. The process involves submitting of application, scrutiny of the said application, and at last, if MoEF is satisfied, then permission is granted.

Suspension and cancellation of Import Refurbisher Authorization

Suppose State Pollution Control Board is of the opinion that the importer application for Import Refurbisher of E-Waste is not according to the mandates set by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change or any of the provisions of the legislative enactment. In that case, the State Pollution Control Board may suspend or cancel the authorisation once the importer is given sufficient opportunity to be heard and put forth their argument. Once the Cancellation is finalised, the State Pollution Control Board is required to inform Central Pollution Control Board within ten days of the cancellation.

Benefits of Refurbished Electronic Products

Some of the benefits of Refurbished Electronic Products are: -

1. Cost-effective
2. Environmentally sustainable
3. Longer life and warranty
4. Better than recycling

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