Argentine tanneries refute allegations of pollution
The location of some of Argentina’s most successful (and environmentally friendly) tanneries in prime residential districts appears to be behind a recent spate of unfounded pollution allegations against them.
Fortunately for the tanneries concerned, their investment in clean technologies meant they were easily able to disprove the accusations and stay put.
Nevertheless, what started as a one-off situation is now beginning to appear worryingly like a trend, as more and more real estate businesses and private residents come to realise how much more their properties would be worth if their local tannery was no longer around.
One company to have experienced particular problems of this kind is Argentina’s largest producer of leather, Arlei S/A. Recently, the company’s Las Toscas plant in the Province of Santa Fe found itself on the receiving end of a vigorous campaign by local residents and environmental campaigners who wanted the facility shut down. As part of their submission, campaigners produced ‘evidence’ in the form of a sample of contaminated water which, they said, had been taken from a nearby watercourse.
What the protesters didn’t count on, however, was the vast amount of independent environmental research that the plant was able to provide and which quickly resulted in their claims including the water specimen being thrown out by the local authority.
Arlei S/A then went one step further by making the studies public and placing them at the disposal of the authorities, the population, environmental organisations and whoever else wanted to see them.
The campaign against Arlei S/A is one of three that have been reported in recent months. Thanks to their genuine commitment to the environment, those tanneries that have been accused have managed to literally hold their ground. It is to be hoped that other similar environmentally-aware operations are able to do likewise.
