industry and environment - DTIE

Chemicals management
should no longer be seen as a lucrative market in
which ship owners and ship brokers profit from
externalizing toxic pollution costs, but as a service
carried out by the shipbreaking countries – a service
the world needs and which should not be subject
to the liabilities associated with the handling
and disposal of toxic and hazardous waste. These
are burdens to be borne by shipping companies,
which are the “purchasers” of the service.
Greenpeace is in favour of introducing an international
shipbreaking fund, paid for by shipping
companies, together with the development of
mandatory global rules requiring ship owners to
take responsibility for toxic waste on their ships
and the safe breaking of these ships.
The high-tech trashing of China
A new form of hazardous waste trade is associated
with the rapid development of the electronics
industry. In 1998 it was estimated that 20 million
computers had become obsolete in the United
States, and that the overall volume of
e-waste was 5 to 7 million tonnes. According to
the report Exporting Harm: The High-Tech Trashing
of Asia, 8 well-informed industry insiders have
indicated that around 80% of electronic waste
generated in the US will be exported to Asia, of
which 90% is destined for China.
In December of 2001 the Basel Action Network
(BAN), with the logistic support of Greenpeace,
carried out an investigation to observe at
first hand the recycling conditions for imported
e-waste in China. It was discovered that Guiyu,
about an hour’s drive west of Shantou City in the
Chaozhou region of the greater Guangdong
Province, is one of the e-waste hotspots. Since
1995 Guiyu has been transformed from a poor,
rural, rice-growing community into a booming e-
waste processing centre. While rice is still grown,
virtually all the available building space is occupied
by hundreds of small, often specialized e-
waste recycling shelters and yards.
Chinese press accounts have estimated that
100,000 people are employed in the e-waste sector
at Guiyu. However, such an estimate would be
extremely difficult to make in view of the fluctuating
migrant workforce. It would be virtually
impossible to estimate how much e-waste is
processed there annually. An anecdotal observation
is that there is very high turnover, with hundreds
of trucks moving in and out daily and a
steady rumble and buzz of activity. These observations
have led us to conclude that Guiyu is a significant
destination for the world’s e-waste. From
the institutional labels, markings, maintenance
stickers and phone numbers on the computers
and peripheral units it is quite easy to determine
the source of this e-waste. Most is clearly of North
American origin, with Japanese, South Korean
and European waste present to a lesser extent.
Many workers are women and children. For the
menial jobs of dismantling and processing
imported e-waste, the average wage equals US$
1.50 per day. This wage is accepted by the population
and workforce, while people are unaware of
the hidden health threats. Since the groundwater
is polluted, water has to be trucked from the town
of Ninjing 30 kilometres away.
Most activities in Guiyu involve physical dismantling
with hammers, chisels, screwdrivers and
bare hands. The most high-tech piece of dismantling
equipment seen was an electric drill. The
immediate objective of most operations is the
rapid separation of primary materials.
Workers without any protective respiratory
equipment (or special clothing of any kind) open
cartridges using screwdrivers and then wipe toner
into a bucket using brushes or their bare hands. In
the process of dismantling computers, a considerable
amount of material is collected and dumped
outside the town along the river, where many of
Fighting environmental crime and protecting the environment:
UNEP’s Green Customs Initiative
Environmental crime is a big and increasingly lucrative business – a multibillion
dollar global enterprise. Local and international crime syndicates
worldwide earn an estimated US$ 22-31 billion dollars per year from hazardous
waste dumping, smuggling of proscribed hazardous materials, and
exploitation and trafficking of protected natural resources. Illegal trade in
commodities such as ozone depleting substances (ODS), toxic chemicals,
hazardous waste and endangered species is an international problem with serious
consequences. It directly threatens human health and the environment,
contributes to species loss, and results in decreased revenues for governments.
Illegal trade in environmentally sensitive commodities strengthens criminal
organizations that also traffic in drugs, weapons and prostitution. It
seriously undermines the effectiveness of multilateral environmental agreements
(MEAs) by circumventing agreed rules and procedures.
National and international regimes for integrated chemical management
rely on customs authorities to monitor and control flows of regulated chemicals
across borders. International agreements related to chemical management
often restrict specific chemicals’ supply and demand at the national
level; some agreements concern phase-outs of harmful substances. Where
illegal trade occurs, incentives for chemicals control and phase-outs established
in MEAs are considerably weakened. National customs authorities
need the capacity to monitor the chemicals covered by MEAs.
Facts about environmental crime:
criminal organizations’ estimated annual earnings
from environmental crime
Estimated amount Type of activity
(US$ billion)
10-20 Dumping of trash and toxic materials
6-10 Illegal trade in endangered species and animal parts
5-8 Theft of and illicit trade in natural resources,
including illegal logging and trade in forest timber
1-2 Illegal trade in ODS
Criminal activity related to ozone depleting substances
20,000-30,000 metric tonnes Estimated size of global black market for ODS
10,000-20,000 metric tonnes Amount of CFCs smuggled into the United States
each year, as reported by US Customs
US$ 600 million Amount ODS smugglers earn annually from selling
to buyers in Europe and North America, as estimated
by industry in 1998
US$ 150 million Amount of annual excise tax revenues the
US government loses as a result of ODS smuggling,
as estimated by industry in 1998
Source: International Crime Threat Assessment, December 2000
(http://clinton4.nara.gov/WH/EOP/NSC/html/documents/pub45270/pub45270index.html)
Context
The issue of coordinating MEA implementation is high on the international
agenda. Parties to such agreements (whether they contribute to
financing or have responsibilities for making agreements work on the
ground) want to achieve synergies between treaties, improve cost-effectiveness
and ensure compliance with MEA objectives. Coordination has been
emphasized repeatedly at international environmental meetings. International
organizations and convention secretariats all recognize the need to
undertake activities that translate their desire for complementarity into
actions on the ground.
The illegal trade issue affects most MEAs with trade components. In each
case it will be necessary to work with national and regional customs agencies
to combat such traffic. Many of the problems and solutions are similar.
Therefore, cooperation on illegal trade is an excellent opportunity for international
organizations and MEA secretariats to work together on issues in
different areas. UNEP’s Governing Council has made the link between the
need to promote cooperation between different Conventions and the importance
of addressing illegal trade in environmentally sensitive commodities.
Response
Customs officers are on the front line with respect to national efforts to combat
illegal trade. If an MEA is to be successful, these officers must be empowered,
equipped and trained. For example, import/export licensing systems
58 ◆ UNEP Industry and Environment April – September 2004