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Final Ethics
INTRODUCTION
On March 2001, the multinational Hindustan
Lever Ltd ( HLL) was caught red-handed by the residents of Kodaikanal, when they found a dumpsite with toxic mercury-laced waste from the companys thermometer factory located in the heart of the town 7.4 ton of crushed mercury containing glass was spilled in a busy scrap yard located near a school
Such an exposure marked the beginning of an ongoing saga of dishonesty, by Unilevers Indian subsidiary, Hindustan Lever Ltd.
It was said to be the largest thermometer plant in the world Unilever, the Anglo-Dutch FMCG giant, imported all the glass and mercury for the thermometers from
After many denials & cover-ups the company agreed that it shipped out 5.3 tonnes of mercury waste to scrap yard
HLLs response to the complaints was transparent and the persons responsible for breach were indentified & penalized
Manufacturing operations were suspended on March 2001 & glass scrap yard was shifted to a more secure place
An environmental audit was commissioned by HLL It appointed Well-known URS Dames & Moore of Aus to conduct a detailed environmental audit
Hindustan Lever Ltd also decided to exit from the thermometer business in January 2001 because it was not core company The companys core business is the manufacture and marketing of soap , detergents , skin care products , deodorants , food and beverages etc The TNPCB ordered the factory to close down and clean up the toxic mess the company had created
The company sent back at least 300 tones of the toxic material to the United States in 2006
The NGOs left no stones unturned to mobilize public opinion and to pressure TNPCB and the TN government to compel HLL to make amends for its acts of commission and omission in unlawful disposal of the hazardous toxic waste and in the exposure of workers to potentially dangerous work environment The NGOs were also responsible to form the TN alliance against mercury (TAAM), which tried to identify and contain contaminated soil The NGOs were also behind the former workers approaching the supreme court of India in 2005, demanding compensation from HLL for loss of their jobs and health hazards the suffered The most laudable part of NGOs role is the novel and dramatic manner in which the kept they mercury waste spill issue alive throughout, by using a variegated set of measures available to them.
High levels of mercury seen to as far as 20 kms Reports of atmospheric mercury outside HLL factory site Amounts of mercury found along the hills surrounding Kodaikanal lake
HLL promised to track, retrieve and clear such other waste NGOs demanded justice from HLL for the damage
Order HLL to make enquiry into the impact of mercury on the health of people and remedies
HLL Plant had adversely effected the entire Kodaikanal environment. There are evidence that can prove that mercury emitted from the plant had far larger impact than revealed by the expert commissioned by HLL. HLL yet to have submit the complete clean-up protocols to TNPCB. Mercury is still prevalent in the atmosphere through the discarded factory scraps. The Environment is badly effected. Hindustan Levers behavior violates the environmental principles of the UN Global Compact.
thermometer factory and how it came into the adverse view of the NGOs, the public and the TNPCB? Answer - History of the factory is as follows: Originally a New York based company whish was shutdown there due to environmental reasons. It was then relocated from Watertown, New York to Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu in 1983. The factory was acquired by Unilever, after it bought Chesebourgh Ponds owner of HLL, which is Unilevers owned Indian subsidiary.
Mercury is a toxic metal which can cause tremendous health problems to people living nearby and even far away.
More than 400 residents of Kodaikanal caught HLL redhanded dumping toxic mercury-laced waste .
Question 2 - How did Hindustan Lever Ltd. Respond to the initial complaints of various stakeholders that the company had adopted a callous attitude towards the disposal of Hazardous mercury-laden waste? What type of strategy did the company adopt when it
realized that the entire fault lay in the carelessness of the factorys
administration? Answer - Response of HLL regarding Initial Complaints :
The persons involved in the event were identified and penalized, the penalty depend on the severity of the offence committed.
Question 3 - What was the role of NGOs in bringing to light HLLs dumping of mercury waste in various parts of Kodaikanal locality? To what extent were they able to get justice to the affected workers and the general public? Answer - NGOs played an important role in avoiding the serious incident that could have taken place if proper action would not have been taken before by the NGOs: NGOs played active role in turning all the stones to mobilize the public opinion and to pressurize TNPCB and Tamil Nadus government to force HLL to stop the hazardous activities. NGOs galvanized worker, concerned citizens, and environmental activists to force the factory to suspend their operations.
The NGOs with their continuous demand and incessant ensured the livelihoods of workers that are put to risk by HLL.
As a result the damages caused to the workers, the community and ecology of the Kodaikanal town was compensated adequately.
Even after 5 years of being caught the HLL has not submitted
It is also noted that the mercury is still prevalent in the atmosphere because the discarded factory scraps and contaminated vegetation re-emit absorbed mercury
Question 5 - What kind of roles have NGOs such as Greenpeace India, played in bringing to the open the issue of HLLs spill of toxic mercury waste in and around Kodaikanal hills? Did it have the desired impact in your view? Answer: the roles played by the NGOs are: Mobilized public opinions to pressurize the government for compelling hll to make amendments for its acts of commission and omission in the unlawful disposal of the toxic waste It galvanized workers, concerned citizens and environmental activist to force the factory to suspend its operations in march 2001 It also formed the TN alliance against mercury which tried to find out contaminated soils.
According to us, the NGO had played a very vital role in this issue because of it the HLL saw the reason and took some corrective measures.
mercury to the Pambar Shola forest was approximately 300 kg HLL appointed consultants who said that about 700 kg of mercury waste were released through air-bone emissions An expert of eco-toxicology of mercury appointed by hll could not find any evidence to risks caused by mercury either to human or to environment
The scientists appointed by the government and NGOs however found the concentrations of mercury up to 1.32 g/ m^3 which was about thousand times higher than in the areas that were not
contaminated.
So by the above mentioned findings it become very clear that the viewpoints of both the scientist one appointed by hll and other by
the government was totally opposite to each other and did not had
any meeting points.