An investigator from Greenpeace samples water discharged from a Youngor textile factory. Photo: Courtesy of Greenpeace
Along the banks of the Fenghua River a lone jogger runs past the massive Youngor Textile Complex. With the factory on his right side and the murky, dead river on his left, he breathes in an acidic stench that makes one wonder if the exercise can be good for him. 

The jogger surnamed Feng, 40, is a local resident who has used the river banks far longer than the Youngor factory has been there. He told the Global Times that before the factory began operation in 2003, this spot along the river was ideal for fishing. Now, no one fishes here for two reasons; there are no fish and if there were they would be polluted.  

The three-square-kilometer industrial complex in the city of Ningbo, Zhejiang Province operated by the giant textile company, which employs 50,000 people, has been accused of polluting the environment, but Youngor defends its practices saying it meets government-imposed regulations for effluent discharge. 

The Global Times investigation of the issue reveals a lack of willing transparency, apparent disinterest of local health practitioners and environmental regulations that are outdated, inconsistent and favor investment over health. 

Earlier this summer Greenpeace released a 115-page report detailing what it said is a toxic mix of hazardous chemicals being discharged from the Youngor plant. 

Youngor not only outsources to some of the world’s largest clothing giants. It also produces garments for its own national brand of clothing. Youngor’s website says its annual sales reach billions of yuan. 

The Greenpeace report attempts to use moral suasion to garner international attention by highlighting Youngor’s international clients that include Nike, Puma, Adidas and one of China’s largest global sportswear retailer Li Ning.

Greenpeace says it detected in Youngor’s effluent hormone-disrupting and suspected cancer causing chemicals called Nonylphenol Ethoxylates or NPEs, which are banned outright in Europe and restricted in Canada. The US is considering toughened regulations on their use.

“China has become the world’s factory for many international and domestic clothing brands, at the expense of public health and the environment,” said Li Yifang, a toxic campaigner of the Greenpeace Beijing office.

Hazardous chemicals

The report by Greenpeace found numerous other chemicals were being discharged by the Youngor Textile Complex. Among them is perfluorooctanoic acid or PFOA, which is being phased out by chemical manufactures in the US. PFOA is a chemical that doesn’t occur naturally but remains in the environment for long periods and has been detected in people’s blood. It has detrimental health effects on laboratory animals and is suspected of affecting the human reproductive and immune system.

Another more recent Greenpeace report says NPEs were found in the clothing of numerous international brands manufactured at a variety of textile factories around the developing world. The report concludes that NPEs can decompose and turn into nonylphenol, a chemical known to be more toxic than NPEs.

Professor Ran Yong, the researcher of the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry of Chinese Academy of Sciences, told the Global Times that NPEs have well-known health effects on humans and wildlife. “It causes a reduction in the reproduction of fish and a decline in the number of human sperm,” said Ran, “Even small amounts of NPEs can be hazardous to the environment as it is persistent for long periods and can accumulate,” said Ran, adding the chemicals not only affect local areas where they are discharged, but are spread by ocean currents and precipitation and enter the food chain. 

Despite being near ground zero of the Youngor plant, the Yingzhou People’s Hospital, the biggest in the region, has not studied any connection between its patients’ ill health to the chemicals discharged by the nearby mega factory. 

“We have not conducted any research nor investigated the connection between patient syndromes and pollution from the Youngor Textile Complex,” said Zhu Weibo, the hospital’s spokesperson, who hung up the phone when asked if the hospital was concerned about possible health effects from the chemicals discharged by the plant. When the Global Times tried to interview doctors at the hospital they too would only say the issue has not been studied. Racks of clothing for sale in a shopping mall Photo: CFP

Swift changes among the giants

William Anderson, the director of Adidas Asia Pacific’s Social and Environmental Affairs section, said his company already has very strict standards and Greenpeace’s suggestion that harmful carcinogens be eliminated are not likely to be that costly. 

“Adidas knows that there are affordable alternative chemicals. So when we work with our supply chain, if we wish to eliminate chemicals, it will be a question of the cost of replacement chemicals,” he said, adding that Adidas would not invest in upgrading water treatment facilities owned by Youngor. 

Greenpeace agrees that it would not be a huge burden for textile producers to switch to more environmentally friendly manufacturing processes. “There are available alternative chemicals to replace the toxic ones so that the products and the river will also be cleared of hazardous chemicals,” said Zhang Kai, a toxic campaigner  with Greenpeace. 

Greenpeace says the Youngor Textile Complex is just one of many such plants in China that are discharging harmful chemicals into the environment. The NGO’s campaigner Li, said Greenpeace targeted the big international brands like Nike, Puma, Adidas and Li Ning because their policies can have a major impact on their supply chains and force change in the industry. 

Who is to blame?

For Adidas representative Anderson, the key is ensuring his company’s suppliers adhere strictly to local government regulations. “It’s important for us to know that they meet the government standards. Greenpeace is asking us to ensure that none of the chemicals be discharged, which is beyond what the Chinese government requires,” he said.

The Greenpeace report contends that all the chemicals it detected in samples it had analyzed from the waste water at Youngor’s plant have been restricted by the European Union on the use of chemicals since 2007.

“Although the Chinese government also restricts the toxic chemicals like NPEs from being imported and exported, there is no regulation restricting its use in the manufacturing process,” said Zhang, adding that China’s chemical regulations were revised in 2008, but still lag behind international standards.

Well-known environmentalist, Huo Daishan, told the Global Times that the textile industry saw a dramatic shift in production from Europe and other Western countries to China in the late 1990s.

Huo said this huge shift in production to China wasn’t only about using cheaper Chinese labor, it enabled international garment giants to escape environmental regulations in their own countries and pollute developing countries like China.  

“I conducted a report in 1996 that revealed large numbers of leather manufacturers in Europe had moved to China because EU raised its pollution control standards,” the 58-year-old former deputy director of the magazine Beijing Leather told the Global Times. “They didn’t improve their manufacturing facilities in their own countries. They just move to Asian countries like China that have lower environmental standards.”

“Environmental standards should be based on the most basic principle that no harm is done to human health. The reality in China today is that both governments and enterprises care much more about their economic interests than people’s lives,” Huo added.     

Yu Lida, deputy general manager of the Youngor Textile Complex, insists that his company does not violate standards or regulations. He said Youngor has a different opinion with Greenpeace regarding environmental standards and the data produced by Greenpeace. 

“We support Greenpeace’s ideal, which is zero discharge of toxic materials and we agree enterprises should take their responsibility, but we are doing what we can and we can’t make promises that beyond our ability to keep,” said Yu. 

Youngor refused to allow the Global Times to visit the company’s sewage treatment plant.  

  Cui Dawei, the deputy director of Ningbo Environmental Monitoring and Enforcement Bureau, the government body in charge of water discharge, confirmed that Youngor has not violated the country’s current pollution discharge regulations.

Xia Junqi, a Beijing lawyer on environmental law agrees that China’s discharge regulations should be amended to match international standards. 

He told the Global Times that Greenpeace shouldn’t have to advocate for better environmental protection, which is the government’s job. He said there are loopholes in regulations that need to be closed such as not allowing NPEs to be imported but not regulating their use. 

Greenpeace campaigner Li says China’s regulations governing the use and discharge of chemicals were drafted 20 years ago and they have been leapfrogged by new developments in the textile industry. “The law in China is out of date and must be improved.” 

The Global Times attempted to contact the Ministry of Environmental Protection by phone and fax, but no response has been received.