Does free trade encourage pollution as corporations build factories and plants in countries?

Question

Select a multinational corporation that has been successful in forming partnerships with workers and the host communities. Conduct research on the company through websites you have learned of through the Library, the Internet, and your reading to create a 2-3 page company newsletter article in which you do the following:

Discuss the corporation’s business activities in a foreign host country.
Discuss the comparative advantages for the firm to operate in the host country.
What were the environmental issues facing the firm, host community, and/or workers?
How was the issue resolved?
How did the resolution affect the short and long run costs of the firm?
What are the lessons to be learned that can be applied to your position at Acme Motors in Nuevo Laredo?

Answer 1

How about the Milliken company? They make textiles. A big part of the textile business is dying. This is an aqueous process that was historically very labor intensive. Industrialization bought mechanization and eliminated much of the labor, but the waste streams remained the same. It can be very costly to treat the waste stream from a dyeing plant, well more expensive than just dumping these aqueous wastes out the storm drains and into the river behind the plant.

In places like India it is not uncommon for the drinking water stream to be black at breakfast and red at lunch, and purple for dinner. Mum, mum good. Of course dumping like that ahs been illegal in the United States since 1970. Since that time textile companies have moved to the countries with the least stringent pollution laws to minimize their operating costs, and maximize their profits. NOW THAT! Is a partnership!

http://www.milliken.com/hr/wwwmlkn.nsf/HomeILFrameset?Open

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dye

I won’t write all 3 pages for your term paper, but that aught to give you a start.