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U.S. firms driving pollution in China mongabay.com August 22, 2007 Jane Spencer, author of the article, cites findings from a recent investigation into the Fuan Textiles mill in southern China as an example. The company, owned by Hong Kong-based Fountain Set Holdings, was caught dumping 22,000 tons of water contaminated from its dyeing operations each day into a nearby river, turning it dark red color. "Prices on fabric and clothing imported to the U.S. have fallen 25% since 1995, partly due to the downward pricing pressure brought by discount retail chains," wrote Spencer. "One way China's factories have historically kept costs down is by dumping waste water directly into rivers. Treating contaminated water costs upwards of about 13 cents a metric ton, so large factories can save hundreds of thousands of dollars a year by sending waste water directly to rivers in violation of China's water-pollution laws."
"Prices in the U.S. are artificially low," Andy Xie, former chief economist for Morgan Stanley Asia, is quoted as saying. "You're not paying the costs of pollution, and that is why China is an environmental catastrophe." Spencer writes that U.S. firms are now "scrambling to prevent environmental issues from creating the same kind of consumer backlash as the antisweatshop campaigns of the past decade." "After labor issues, the environment is the new frontier," Daryl Brown, vice president for ethics and compliance at Liz Claiborne Inc., which uses Fountain Set cotton in some of its products, told The Wall Street Journal. "We certainly don't want to be associated with a company that's polluting the waters." China's State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) estimates that 300 million people lack access to clean drinking water. Mr. Xie estimates that 20-30 percent of China's water pollution results from the manufacturing of goods that are exported. Related articles China to miss pollution goals for 2007 (8/22/2007) China has managed to cut emissions of sulphur dioxide, an acid-rain causing pollutant, during the first half of 2007 but is likely to miss reduction targets for the year, reports the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA). Extinction of the Yangtze river dolphin is confirmed (8/8/2007) After an extensive six-week search scientists have confirmed the probable extinction of the baiji or Yangtze river dolphin. The freshwater dolphin's extinction had been reported late last year. 760,000 Chinese a year die from pollution (7/4/2007) 760,000 Chinese die prematurely each year from polluted air and water, according to estimates to be released by the World Bank. Industrialized countries outsource CO2 emissions to China (6/22/2007) Facing criticism as it surpasses the U.S. as the world's largest producer of carbon dioxide, China says that industrialized countries are hypocritical for criticizing its greenhouse gas emissions while buying its products, according to the Associated Press. China argues that developed countries are effectively outsourcing emissions by shifting manufacturing to its factories. China may top U.S. in greenhouse gas emissions in 2007 (3/23/2007) China's carbon dioxide emissions may exceed those of the United States in 2007, making the country the world's largest greenhouse gas polluter, according to analysis of Chinese energy data. Groundwater supplies polluted in 90% of cities in China (12/3/2006) Groundwater water supplies are polluted or overexploited in about 9 out of every 10 Chinese cities according to official state media. CITATON: JANE SPENCER (2007). China Pays Steep Price As Textile Exports Boom. August 22, 2007; Page A1 The Wall Street Journal News index | RSS | Add to MyYahoo! Advertisements: Organic Apparel from Patagonia | Insect-repelling clothing |
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