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How Responsible is HLL?
Kodaikanal provides ‘Dying Evidence’ of its Dismal Record of Accountability.
Greenpeace, along with concerned shareholders of Hindustan Lever Limited (HLL), would like the management at HLL to answer the following questions:
1. The company’s latest Annual Report says Safety and health of employees is of paramount importance to the company and claims that all its units are resourced with occupational health experts. How many such experts were there in the Kodaikanal factory?
2. Under pressure from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, the company was forced to return the 290 tonnes of Mercury waste of its Thermometer factory to the US, but rejected the demand of the international environment groups like Greenpeace for retirement of recycled Mercury derived from the waste. If the company knows well that Mercury is a highly dangerous chemical, then why can’t it decide to retire this recycled Mercury permanently?
3. At least 12 of ex-workers of the factory have died in the last few years due to complications suspected to be arising out of working with Mercury in the Thermometer plant. Many ex-workers of the factory are reported to be suffering from various illnesses and still the company maintains that these former employees are not affected by Mercury pollution. Is it what the Corporate Accountability means to the Hindustan Lever?
4. Unilever has been giving out contradictory figures on the quantity of missing Mercury from the Kodaikanal factory, despite knowing pretty well the fact that tons of Mercury has been released into the fragile environment of Pambar Shola. Can the company come out with a realistic and sincere statement on the quantity of Mercury released into this pristine ecology?
5. Unilever has been operating the Thermometer factory in Kodaikanal for many years knowing pretty well that it is playing with the lives of its employees and the local people. Is it the way of doing business, while preaching that the company gives importance to the social responsibility and the lives of employees?
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