China is clamping down on companies that discharge pollutants

They include feed processing, wine-manufacturing, paper-making and the steel and chemical sectors

They include feed processing, wine-manufacturing, paper-making and the steel and chemical sectors

During the last few decades of massive Chinese economic growth, it seems that lots of industries were operating without permits, resulting in severe environmental degradation. In an effort to clean up the country’s soil and air, the Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection recently published on its website a list of 82 industries that will need to obtain licenses before discharging any more pollutants, or else be subject to fines of up to 1 million yuan ($148,920.33). The licenses, which should be obtained by 2020, will specify terms such as where and how many pollution discharge outlets industries can have or how they carry out pollutant discharge, and will also set ceilings on the concentration and amount of pollutants.

The 82 industries include feed processing, wine-manufacturing, paper-making, as well as the steel and chemical sectors, and those that fail to comply could face fines of up to 1 million yuan ($148,920.33) or their operations could be suspended. More than 5,100 licenses have already been issued to companies in the thermal power and paper-making industries which were the first that were required to operate with permits.

Source: Reuters