Archived press release

Environment agency

24 July 2002

ENVIRONMENT AGENCY LIST OF WORST POLLUTERS MISLEADING

The Environment Agency should produce league tables showing which companies are releasing the most health threatening pollution, Friends of the Earth said
today, as the Environment Agency released its Annual “Spotlight on Business
Environmental Performance”.

While welcoming the Agency’s report, Friends of the Earth warned that simply
naming those companies who had been prosecuted does show which firms are causing most environmental damage or releasing most health threatening pollution.
Friends of the Earth research has shown that a number of firms are legally
allowed to release hundreds of tonnes of cancer-causing gases every year, but
these companies are not highlighted as poor performers in the Agency report.
Ironically, the biggest polluter – Ineos Chlor in Runcorn, releasing over 2000 tonnes of cancer-causing chemicals in 2002 (latest published data) – is highlighted in the Agency report as a good performer.

Friends of the Earth believes that league tables highlighting the firms with the
biggest environmental and health impact would drive improvements and encourage
the investment industry to use its influence more strongly.

Mike Childs, Friends of the Earth Pollution Campaigner, said:

“While we welcome the Environment Agency’s report, we are concerned that their
list of prosecuted companies could be misinterpreted as a list of the worst
polluters. Instead the Agency must produce a league table of the companies
releasing most health-threatening pollution. This would be a better measure of
performance. A league table of the most polluting factories would clearly show
that although pollution gains are being made, much more needs to be done to
protect the environment and public health.”

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust