The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board has dropped its scrutiny of Tata Electronics’ iPhone components plant in Hosur after the company addressed concerns over wastewater contamination, according to a statement. (a file picture)
| Photo Credit:
Tunia Anna Cherian 4795
Apple’s Indian
supplier Tata Electronics on Tuesday said a state pollution
control board has dropped its scrutiny of the company’s iPhone
components plant after it addressed concerns about
contamination.
The southern Tamil Nadu state’s pollution control authority had
warned Tata of a forced shutdown unless it explained why
government inspections found that wastewater discharge had
contaminated open wells in adjacent agricultural lands, Reuters
reported on Saturday.
On Tuesday, Tata told Reuters in a statement that the Tamil
Nadu Pollution Control Board had confirmed that the company “has
satisfactorily addressed all queries mentioned” in the warning
notice and “dropped any further course of action on this
issue”.
The Tamil Nadu state pollution control board did not
immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment. Apple also
did not respond to a request for comment.
Tata is central to Apple’s push to diversify its
iPhone production beyond China. The plant that faced scrutiny is
located in Hosur, 25 miles south of tech hub Bengaluru, and
makes back panels and other components for iPhones.
Tata said in its statement that the pollution board has
confirmed “that the reports of its own analysis of recently
collected water samples from Tata Electronics’ manufacturing
facility in Hosur, Tamil Nadu do not indicate any
contamination”.
Tata added that it had commissioned an independent analysis
through an accredited laboratory, the results of which indicated
that all the parameters were within prescribed limits, and it
submitted a formal response including those results to the
pollution authority.
The pollution control body had previously said Tata
discharged wastewater into a rainwater harvesting pond inside
its facility and that the pond overflowed to contaminate
“groundwater in the open wells located in the adjacent
agricultural lands”. The scrutiny followed complaints from
farmers.
The Tata notice was the latest in a series of issues that have
dogged Apple’s India supply chain. A fire at Tata’s Hosur plant
in September 2024 halted iPhone component production briefly,
while a fire in September 2023 at former supplier Pegatron’s
iPhone plant shut production for days.
Other companies have also faced disciplinary action from
pollution authorities in India. In 2024, Mercedes-Benz
improved wastewater and air pollution management at
its only car factory in the country after officials detected
lapses in compliance with environmental law.
Published on June 16, 2026
