Foreign firms blacklisted for pollution

Environmentalist compiles list of 2,700 of the mainland's most serious offenders, mainly domestic companies

A mainland environmentalist has released a list of more than 30 foreign-invested companies that the government has blacklisted for causing water pollution and accused them of double standards.

Ma Jun , head of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs in Beijing, compiled the list using information from local environmental protection bodies and media reports over the past three years. It has received widespread coverage in the mainland media. The 33 foreign companies include subsidiaries of multinationals, such as bathroom and kitchen fixture manufacturer American Standard, Swiss food giant Nestle, Pepsi and electronic goods maker Panasonic.

'I'm surprised to see these well-known international companies on the list,' Mr Ma said yesterday.

'Of course, lax laws and supervision are making companies less active in environmental protection, but it shouldn't be an excuse for these international companies.'

But the NGO has compiled a larger list of 2,700 of the mainland's most serious polluters, most of which are domestic firms. The companies named failed to meet basic local limits on pollution discharges.

Rapid economic growth on the mainland has brought problems such as water pollution and shortages, which some experts say have reached crisis proportions.

A toxic chemical spill last year that halted water supply to the major city of Harbin highlighted the problem of water pollution on the mainland. Some of the foreign companies on the list yesterday remained mute about their inclusion.

A branch of American Standard in Shanghai declined to comment publicly, though one official said the operation was highly polluting given the nature of its products, porcelain fixtures.

But Panasonic was apologetic about what it called an 'accident' which caused a Shanghai battery-making subsidiary to be included on the list.

'We have always regarded environmental protection as an important task. We never apply different standards in China,' said Li Zhihong, a spokeswoman for Panasonic in China.

She said the incident was caused by an internal management problem.

'Our workers incorrectly washed some batteries at the plant's water discharge point and caused pollution last October, when the person in charge of environmental protection was not on duty,' she said. 'But it was immediately reported to the management team and we improved environmental education to workers.'

Mr Ma said he had yet to receive a response from any of the foreign companies on the list, which he had also sent to the American Chamber of Commerce in China.

'I hope they [companies] can raise their awareness and regain their reputations, as they usually do in developed countries,' he said.

Additional reporting by Lillian Yang