富士康再陷苹果“污染门”

飞雪寒冰

There are few places in China more notorious for environmental pollution than Taiyuan. The capital of the northern province of Shanxi is at the heart of the country’s coal industry and has long suffered from unrelenting smog.
在中国，说到环境污染，没有几个地方能比太原更出名。这个山西省的省会城市在中国煤炭行业中处于核心地位，因此长期以来一直深受烟雾之害。



So when Foxconn Technology Group, the world’s largest electronics contract manufacturer by revenue, began moving some of its production to inland provinces six years ago, local authorities in Taiyuan lobbied for them to set up shop there, hoping for new employment from a cleaner industry. Now, some local residents regret Foxconn’s presence.
所以，当按收入衡量全球最大的电子产品代工企业——富士康科技集团(Foxconn Technology Group)在6年前开始将部分生产线迁往内陆省份时，太原当地政府游说其到太原设厂，期望将新增就业人口引导至更清洁的行业。但现在，部分当地居民很后悔让富士康在当地设厂。

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According to a report by five Chinese environmental groups published on Wednesday, residents of the Hengda Oasis residential compound, located just west of the Foxconn plant, have complained of air pollution from the facility since 2009.
中国5家环保组织周三发布的一份报告显示，富士康工厂以西紧挨着的恒大绿洲小区的居民，自2009年以来多次对该厂造成的空气污染进行了投诉。



“The pollution now is very severe,” said a resident who gave his surname as Yang. “We have chest tightness, thirst, dizziness and nausea.”
“现在，污染已经非常严重，”一位杨姓住户表示。“我们感到胸闷、口渴、眩晕和恶心。”

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China’s electronics industry has for years been favoured with financial incentives by policy makers seeking to move the manufacturing sector up the value chain. But environmentalists say electronics manufacturers are increasingly heavy polluters. Wednesday’s report, which accuses Apple of systemic pollution in its supply chain in China, is just the latest broadside.
多年以来，中国的政策制定者通过财政刺激措施支持电子行业的发展，希望籍此提升中国制造业整体在价值链中的地位。但环保人士表示，电子生产企业对环境的污染日益严重。周三发布的报告还谴责苹果(Apple)在中国的供应链构成了系统性污染，而这份报告只不过是环保人士的最新一次谴责。



Foxconn, as one of Apple’s most important suppliers, which assembles most iPhones and iPads and makes some key components, is one of the main targets. In Taiyuan, the acrid smell local residents found so unbearable came from the exhaust from a paint workshop and oil vapour from cutting parts.
作为苹果最重要的供应商之一，富士康自然在主要谴责目标之列。该公司主要为苹果组装iPhone和iPad，也生产某些关键部件。在太原，当地居民感到难以忍受的酸味源于一个烤漆车间的废气以及切削部件时产生的石油蒸汽。

飞雪寒冰

Foxconn, as one of Apple’s most important suppliers, which assembles most iPhones and iPads and makes some key components, is one of the main targets. In Taiyuan, the acrid smell local residents found so unbearable came from the exhaust from a paint workshop and oil vapour from cutting parts.
作为苹果最重要的供应商之一，富士康自然在主要谴责目标之列。该公司主要为苹果组装iPhone和iPad，也生产某些关键部件。在太原，当地居民感到难以忍受的酸味源于一个烤漆车间的废气以及切削部件时产生的石油蒸汽。



“There has been no evidence to support any reports by residents near our facility in Taiyuan that the facility is polluting the air in that location and monitoring by the local government confirms that,” Foxconn told the Financial Times.
“目前尚无证据支持太原工厂附近居民关于该工厂造成空气污染的说法，而且地方政府的监测结果也证实了这一点，”富士康向英国《金融时报》表示。

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“However, a review by local officials did determine that our air quality system in that facility should be enhanced and we are in the process of installing new air quality control systems throughout that facility that will ensure we operate well above current air quality standard requirements,” the company said.
“不过，当地官员的一次评估确实得出结论称，那家工厂的空气质量系统应当进行升级，我们正在全厂内安装新的空气质量控制系统，新系统将确保我们在远高于现行空气质量标准的基础之上展开运营，”富士康表示。

Foxconn has shut down some equipment until the new systems are in place. But much of the worst pollution is less obvious.
富士康已关闭了一些设备，等到新系统安装好之后再重新启用。但是，最严重的污染大多并没有那么明显。

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“The electronic industry doesn’t represent the stereotype of pollution, the black smog, the dirty discharge, the smokestack,” said Zhang Jianyu, head of the environmental defence fund in Beijing. “The discharges may pose significant health impact to humans but are not conventional pollutants,” Mr Zhang added.
“电子行业造成的污染不是那种常见的污染——浓黑的烟雾、肮脏的排放物和高耸的烟囱，”美国环保协会中国项目负责人张建宇表示。“排放物可能严重地危害人体健康，但它们不是传统意义上的污染物，”张建宇补充道。

Electronics components contain elements that are harmful to humans in large quantities, such as lead and cadmium, which can damage nervous systems. Etching, polishing and painting processes can release dangerous dust and chemicals including cyanide and arsenic.
电子元件中含有大量的对人体有害的元素，比如铅和镉，可能伤害人的神经系统。蚀刻、抛光和烤漆流程可能释放出有害粉尘以及氰化物、砷等化学物质。

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In one of the highest-profile disasters this year, in May a Foxconn factory assembling iPads caught fire, killing three workers. Foxconn said a buildup of flammable dust in the air caused an explosion.
5月，富士康一家组装iPad的工厂失火，导致3名工人死亡，成为今年最为轰动的事故之一。富士康表示，引起爆炸的原因是空气中集聚了过多的可燃粉尘。

The long and complex supply chains behind electronics products can exacerbate the problem as suppliers further outsource production of their most polluting components.
电子产品背后又长又复杂的供应链使得污染问题雪上加霜，因为供应商会将其污染最严重部件的生产进一步外包出去。

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“If you become a supplier to an international firm and you get compliance pressures, then you might be tempted to solve the problem by outsourcing the dirtiest parts of your manufacturing process,” said Laura Ediger, environmental manager at BSR, a consultancy.
“如果你成为一家国际公司的供应商，又受到环保合规方面的压力，那么你就会很想很把污染最严重的那些生产流程外包出去，以解决问题，”咨询机构商务社会责任国际协会(BSR)环境部门经理葛晓璐(Laura Ediger)表示。

Printed circuit boards, batteries, semiconductors and liquid crystal display screens are among the most polluting components to produce, according to Ms Ediger.
葛晓璐表示，印刷电路板(PCB)、电池、半导体和液晶显示屏都属于生产过程污染最严重的部件。

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Another big issue is the treatment and disposal of waste generated during the manufacturing process. “Some manufacturers are not serious about their waste management,” said James Xue, a director at the environmental service division at SGS, the testing and inspections company.
另一个大问题是如何处理和销毁生产过程中产生的废物。“有些生产商并不重视废物处理，”检验与测试机构SGS集团环境服务部经理薛建(James Xue)表示。

Wednesday’s report cites the example of one large waste treatment station in Shenzhen that was found by the local government to be emitting pollutants several times the legal limit. The station services factories belonging to Foxconn and other global brands including Hitachi, Samsung, Siemens, Sanyo, IBM, Philips and Toshiba, according to its website.
周三发布的报告列举了深圳一座大型废物处理站的例子，当地政府发现该处理站的污染物排放水平比法定上限高出好几倍。据其网站资料显示，该处理站的服务对象是富士康以及日立(Hitachi)、三星(Samsung)、西门子(Siemens)、三洋(Sanyo)、IBM、飞利浦(Philips)和东芝(Toshiba)等国际品牌下属的工厂。

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Foxconn said it would investigate the matter. “If they are found to be in violation and cannot bring their operation into compliance, we will find a new vendor,” it said.
富士康表示将调查此事。“如果发现工厂违规，并且其生产活动达不到环保标准，我们将更换供应商，”富士康表示。

Earlier this year, Hong Fujin Precision Industry (Shenzhen), a Foxconn affiliate, was fined Rmb40,000 ($6,271) for phosphate concentration in its wastewater exceeding the figure given in their discharge permit.
今年早些时候，富士康的子公司鸿富锦精密工业(深圳)有限公司因废水中磷酸盐浓度超出排放许可证规定的限值标准，被处罚款4万元人民币（合6271美元）。

Foxconn confirmed the fine and said the violation was a single incident caused by human error.
富士康确认了被罚款一事属实，但表示，这次违规事件是由人为过失引发的孤立事故。