Green court pulls up Amazon, Flipkart for excessive use of plastic in packaging

NEW DELHI: Responding to a plea filed by a 16-year-old boy, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on September 4 expressed its displeasure at the use of excessive of plastic in packaging by e-commerce giants like Amazon and Flipkart, and suggested that the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) conduct an environmental audit and then recover fines from the two companies for violating green norms.

The order was uploaded on the NGT’s website on Friday.

Hearing a petition filed by the boy, Aditya Dubey, who approached the tribunal through his legal guardians, to stop Amazon and Flipkart from using excessive plastic in their packaging, the green court said the authorities concerned were not following the dictum of “polluter pays” even as there were statutory norms prescribing this.

In environmental law, the polluter pays principle dictates that a party responsible for producing pollution compensate for the damage caused.

The NGT then asked the CPCB to take steps necessary in the matter and file an action-taken report by October 14.

“A report has been filed by the CPCB on September 4, which again mentions one or other reasons for not enforcing the law but does not mention the coercive measures adopted either directly by CPCB or in coordination with the state PCBs/PCCs (pollution control boards),” noted the tribunal, headed by justice Adarsh K Goel.

The green court also said the pollution control body could also consider ordering an environmental audit against the two firms to assess and recover compensation, following due process of law.

In an email response to Hindustan Times, Amazon India said, “Amazon India has been working along with industry bodies and has made various representations to the Ministry of Environment to obtain clarity on roles and responsibilities of e-commerce players. While our teams are working to review the orders and await guidance from CPCB in the present matter, we have always been committed to be compliant with Extended Producer Responsibility mandate under the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016.”

Flipkart did not respond to repeated requests for comment.