Environmentalists yesterday said that several large international corporations have responded to their appeals not to become an accessory to Advanced Semiconductor Engineering’s (ASE) pollution of Taiwan, with one saying that it would not place orders with the company until its wastewater treatment issues are fully addressed.
Greater Kaohsiung’s Environmental Protection Bureau partially suspended operations at ASE’s K7 plant in December last year after the plant was found to have illegally discharged toxic wastewater into the Houjn River (後勁溪).
The discharge contained high levels of nickel and the shutdown applied only to those production lines responsible for the nickel waste.
The city recently approved the company’s plan to clean up the river, meaning that full operations at K7 could resume after all the preparatory work is complete.
Members of Citizen of the Earth, Taiwan, said that the K7 plant should not be permitted to resume full operations because ASE has yet to meet the lowest standard required of a global supplier.
The environmental group said that it had worked with International Campaign for Responsible Technology in February to disclose ASE’s pollution records for the past two years and a list of companies buying products from the semiconductor firm. The group has urged the ASE clients not to believe the certifications provided by the company.
Several international corporations, including Apple, Intel Corp and Maxim Integrated, have responded to the appeal, the group said.
According to Citizen of the Earth, Taiwan, Intel said that it is investigating the situation with ASE and would ensure that ASE meets all the environmental regulations and addresses its pollution issues.
The group said Apple forwarded its information to Sony, Intel, NXP Semiconductors as well as the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition, and Apple has said it hopes to continue the conversation with Citizens of the Earth to monitor how ASE handles the water pollution it created.
Maxim Integrated said that it has placed orders with other semiconductor firms after hearing about the water pollution generated by ASE, adding that it will not place orders with ASE until the company is certified to have improved its wastewater treatment procedures.
Citizens of the Earth director Tsai Hue-hsun (蔡卉荀) said that ASE, as a global supplier, should make its environmental protection and clean-up information open to the public, or it will not be able to repair its tarnished reputation.
“The Environmental Protection Bureau in Greater Kaohsiung should ask ASE to explain what it will do for the farmers and fishermen affected by the water pollution and must not limit its responsibility to the inspection of the K7 plant,” she said.
The Environmental Protection Administration should examine the gap between the nation’s regulations and those of the international community and amend regulations where necessary, she said.
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