Trafigura lied about pollution

This video from Britain is called Newsnight. Trafigura. Law firm Carter-Ruck. Private Eye. Toxic waste. Twitter.

Translated from Greenpeace in the Netherlands:

Dutch Advertising Code Committee: Trafigura misleads the public

June 4, 2010 10:20

The Advertising Code Committee (RCC) considers that the international oil company Trafigura has deceived the Dutch public. This happened last fall, September 30, in large advertisements in the newspapers. Trafigura said, among other things, that they had the best of intentions for the West African region, in response to earlier reports on the dumping of toxic waste.

This spring, Greenpeace complained to the RCC. The RCC has partly upheld Greenpeace’s complaint and Trafigura was, by order of June 3, 2010, recommended no longer to advertise in such a way. Marietta Harjono (Greenpeace): “We are delighted that the RCC has now confirmed that Trafigura misleads the public when they says they’re best for the West African region. That is what is at stake. It is strange that Trafigura still says that it has nothing to answer for.”

The RCC believes that Trafigura has misled the public by advertising, stating that “Trafigura always strives for a good interpretation of its economic and social involvement in the West African region.” According to the RCC, Greenpeace has contested that Trafigura claim with valid points, by pointing out various actions by Trafigura in the Probo Koala [ship] affair. Examples of these actions were presented by Greenpeace to the Advertising Code Committee:

– Although the waste could be processed correctly in Europe, Trafigura had this done in Africa for profit reasons and thereby violated EU rules
– Trafigura knowingly took the risk of harm to people and environment in Amsterdam and various African countries, concealing the true nature of the waste and attempting to get rid of the waste without the necessary precautions
– Trafigura delivered the waste to the Ivorian company Tommy, without carefully checking whether this newly formed company would be able to handle the waste properly. Trafigura puts all the blame on Tommy, whose owner is now serving a prison sentence of 20 years.

London air pollution ‘worst in Europe’: here.

Air pollution leads to premature deaths of more than 4,000 Londoners a year: here.