"Chinese environmental groups accused Apple Inc of turning a blind eye as its suppliers pollute the country," begins the Reuters piece I found on HuffPo about Apple suppliers poisoning the Chinese. It's the Chinese government who is poisoning its people, not Apple. Apple merely lives by the laws of the land. If those laws, or lack thereof, permit operation of a plant that poisons, change the laws or write the regulations.
Once upon a time in a place called America companies poisoned citizens in places like Love Canal, NY with impunity. Why? They were following the laws...mostly. Eventually, citizens made companies stop poisoning them with legislation like the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (1948), the Clean Air Act (1970) and the Clean Water Act (1972).
Some argue these laws and subsequent regulations drove jobs to places like Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and eventually China. There's truth to that argument. But which of those countries has surpassed America in living standards, wealth, and global dominance since 1948? Seems we made the right call. (Something to consider in the current debate over jobs vs. government regulation).
Apple is a public company, not a country, community, or deity. Apple answers to shareholders looking for..wait for it...profits. It's not up to Apple to write the laws of the lands where they or their suppliers operate; it's up to Apple to follow the laws written by the governments of the lands where they do business. But when the power of government doesn't derive from the governed in places like...wait for it...CHINA...then the governed don't really matter that much. The government would much rather attract factory jobs no matter the cost to the environment or its people's health. (Does anyone remember how China had to blast the smog out of Beijing pre-Olympics?) It's the Chinese government that's responsible for poisoning its people, not Apple and other companies who abide by the laws of their land.
So spare me the "Apple is evil" storyline. Place the blame where it belongs...with the Chinese Communist Party.
I suppose I have to agree with you here. This is merely a ploy by Chinese environmentalists to take a stab at an American company that has seen great success in the Chinese economy. The problem of pollution is just as dire as that of labor laws in China, but I don't see any Worker's Rights activists running around, campaigning for $8 minimum wage and 40 hour work weeks. No, what they are trying to accomplish, is to make an American corporation look like the bad guys in this situation. Yes, as you said, the Chinese government is at fault for not passing any environmental laws and standards, however, Chinese environmentalists are not looking for just anyone to blame: they are looking for Americans to blame. With China being a rising power on the international stage and their recent economic success, Chinese corporations are doing anything they can to get ahead. Of course they aren't going to look to pass labor laws, because its the lack of labor laws which allow them to produce goods at such a low operating cost.
ReplyDeleteInstead they will turn their firepower on the United States based companies. If any level headed, unbiased environmentalist was looking for someone to blame, the blame would certainly land on the commies. But they are not. They're looking to blame the U.S.
--Sam Gillespie, Dickinson College