TreeHugger reports on a new report from Greenpeace which finds that multinational companies in China are not reporting their pollution information as required by Chinese law:
Among the eighteen companies cited were eight of the world’s top 500 companies — Shell, Samsung Electronics, Nestle, LG, Kraft, Motorola, Denso and Bridgestone — and 10 major Chinese companies, including industry leaders such as PetroChina and Shenhua.
China’s pollution information disclosure law, which took effect in May 2008, requires companies to reveal details of pollution to the public within 30 days of being cited for breaking pollution laws, and come up with an emergency plan to rectify the problem.
Local governments are also obliged to provide information upon request by the public.It should surprise few who watch China that the law isn’t being obeyed. (A study last month also found that only 4 of 113 local governments responded to public requests.)
But when the law is being flaunted by some of the biggest companies operating in China, blame tends to fall less heavily on local officials than on the companies themselves.
Download the Greenpeace report here.
