Hundreds of Chinese Companies Still Pumping Out Too Much Pollution, Inspections Find

Almost one out of every two Chinese companies inspected by regulators were found to have numerous air pollution issues, with those in the building materials and chemical and pharmaceutical sectors among the biggest culprits, according to the environment ministry.

Of the 1,582 companies inspected in 30 cities in May, 882 were found to have a total of “1,940 issues related to air pollution of the environment,” according to a statement released Monday by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

The inspections targeted companies in highly-polluting “key industries” including iron and steel, petrochemical and building materials.

So far, further investigations have been opened into 269 companies, with 41 individuals being held under administrative detention and another six people under criminal detention, it said.

Booming economic growth in recent decades has seen China’s carbon emissions soar. In 2019, it contributed almost 30% of total global emissions, according to a May report by the Rhodium Group, far surpassing the second highest emitter, the U.S., which contributed 11%. That year for the first time, China surpassed the emissions of all developed countries combined, said the report.

Beijing has engaged in a years-long campaign to cut air pollution and last year pledged to bring carbon emissions to a peak by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2060. Environmental authorities have prosecuted pollution-related crimes, shut down violators and held those who falsified environmental data accountable.

Of the polluters, 489 were from the building materials sector, 303 from the chemical and pharmaceutical sectors and 183 from the petrochemical sector, said the statement.

The ministry’s Monday statement has also listed numerous examples, which it said should serve as a warning to other violators to rectify similar issues they may have.

In the northern city of Xingtai, Hebei province, hazardous-waste incinerator Hebei Zhongrun Ecological Environmental Protection Co. Ltd. was found to have emitted more carbon monoxide than the daily limit for 128 days between January and May. It also had exceeded the daily limit for emissions of particulate matter, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, the statement said.

A company in Yuncheng, Shanxi province, had emitted waste gases containing sulfur compounds without undergoing desulphurization, having failed to construct the necessary facilities upon gaining obtaining approval after its environmental impact assessment, the ministry said.

Contact reporter Cai Xuejiao (xuejiaocai@caixin.com) and editor Lu Zhenhua (zhenhualu@caixin.com)

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