Press Centre

25th May 2001: Industry Concedes to Greenpeace Demands and Takes First Steps Towards Stopping Releases of Newly Banned Toxic Chemicals

The last of a wave of Greenpeace direct actions around the world against industrial sources of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) ended at 3.00pm in Gotland, Sweden today after managers of the 'Cementa' cement kiln, owned by the German 'Heidelburg Group', conceded to Greenpeace demands. The company agreed to year's moratorium on burning hazardous waste and to stop importing it from the UK and elsewhere. It also agreed to send imported mixed waste back to Norway and the Netherlands after Greenpeace discovered it was burning it illegally and to establish a working group to discuss ways in which it can operate without causing environmental damage by burning waste in the future. (1)

Greenpeace has been taking action against the cement plant for 11 days (2) demanding that it stops using waste to fuel its kiln because it is significantly contributing to the global POPs crisis that world governments agreed to tackle this week under the new Stockholm Convention to eliminate all POPs, signed on Wednesday. Throughout the governmental meeting, the Swedish Minister for the Environment, Kjell Larsson, ignored appeals by Greenpeace to demonstrate that his commitment to eliminating POPs is genuine by stopping a significant source of the poisons in Sweden.

"It is encouraging to see an industry agreeing to take the first step towards protecting public health and the environment from POPs but ' Cementa' must now agree to stop burning waste permanently. That it took 11 days of direct action by Greenpeace to get this far is of serious concern. If the new Stockholm Convention is to be worth the paper it's written on, all governments must ensure immediate industrial change and act to stop this and all other sources of POPs," said Greenpeace campaigner, Jacob Hartmann, on board the environmental organisation's vessel, MV Greenpeace which has been at the action scene since the direct action began last week.

The new Stockholm Convention requires that all governments take action to stop POPs sources such as waste incineration, the burning of hazardous waste in cement kilns and all industries using chlorine as part of their manufacturing and production processes.

Notes to Editors:
(1) Under the agreed moratorium, the company will refrain from using test permits to burn toxic waste and will not import any more toxic waste. They will also seek technical assistance to deal with existing stocks of waste imported from the UK and refrain from burning and importing mixed waste. Greenpeace will participate in the working group and will continue to monitor 'Cementa's' moves to stop burning waste.

Over the past 11 days, some 80 Greenpeace activists stopped the supply of plastic waste, car tyres and environmentally dangerous oils to 'Cementa's' incinerator.

This week, Greenpeace has been taking direct action against POPs sources in Japan, Thailand, the Czech Republic, Lebanon, Turkey, the UK, the Netherlands, Argentina, Brazil and Chile. More information.

For further information call:
Matilda Bradshaw, Greenpeace International Media + 31 6 535 04701
Jacob Hartmann, Greenpeace Nordic toxics campaigner on + 45 28109020

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