50 international environmental groups jointly criticize ASE in wastewater discharge case

In response to the incident in which the Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE) Kaohsiung K7 plant polluted Houjin Creek, fifty international environmental groups from eighteen countries issued a joint statement yesterday (2/12), demanding that ASE disclose information on its use and discharge of chemical substances and that it not harm workers' rights during the shutdown period. They also called on major international companies such as Apple, SONY and Intel to stop placing orders with ASE until it improves its environmental and labor conditions.

Environmental groups: ASE is in a rush to resume operations and has no interest in dealing with the wastewater problem

On December 21 last year, the ASE K7 plant was ordered by the Kaohsiung City Government to suspend operations for wastewater pollution, and it was also pursued for unjust profits. However, ASE applied to resume operations three days after the shutdown, and on January 17 this year it filed an administrative appeal against the Kaohsiung City Government's shutdown order.

Chiu Hua-mei, a board member of the Citizens of the Earth Foundation, said: "Regarding the remediation plan for Houjin Creek, the agricultural and fishery losses, and the more than 100 million in unjust profits, ASE has said nothing so far. A company with annual revenue of 200 billion is actually unable to properly handle its wastewater discharge problem, and is also unwilling to pay the 100 million in unjust profits."

When facing outside questioning, ASE always responds that "the K7 plant's wastewater discharge was a single case." But Tsai Hui-hsun, director of the Citizens of the Earth Foundation, pointed out that ASE is in fact a long-term repeat offender, with 25 pollution violation records from 2011 to 2013 and penalties amounting to 4.75 million. "For such a long-term repeat offender, a company that after being ordered to suspend operations is still unwilling to pay its unjust profits, by what right can it apply to resume operations?"

"ASE Chairman Chang Chien-sheng said publicly that he was completely unaware of the pollution situation, which proves that ASE's management system has already failed," Tsai Hui-hsun argued. Yet such a company has still received many CSR (corporate social responsibility) certifications and awards at home and abroad. If these awards were not poorly judged, then they amount to "greenwashing" for the company.