Formosa Plastics Corporation
Profile
Formosa Plastics Corporation was founded in 1954 in Taiwan. It manufactures plastics, and is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The company first attracted global attention when it was caught dumping 3,000 tons of toxic mercury-laden waste in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, that originated at a PVC plant in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. In 2012, the company became infamous again when it unsuccessfully sued Ben-Jei Tsuang, a professor at the Department of Environmental Engineering in National Chun Hsing University, who published a paper linking high cancer rates in Mailiao,Taiwan, to toxic dioxin and heavy metals air pollution from the Six Naphtha Cracking plant.
PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) resins, high density polyethylene, tairylan acrylic fiber, acrylic acid and ester, carbon fiber, caustic soda, PVC modifier, calcium carbonate.
Violations
| Top 5 Offense Groups (Groups Defined) | Penalty Total | Number of Records |
|---|---|---|
| environment-related offenses | $24,548,050 | 46 |
| safety-related offenses | $1,187,166 | 39 |
(September 30, 2022)
Stories
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Activism
Stop the formosa plastics plant
Coalition Against Death Alley | 2021
As part of the fossil fuel industry’s push to increase North American plastic production by 35 percent by 2025(1), Formosa Plastics is planning to build a massive petrochemical industrial complex in St. James Parish, Louisiana.
Hurricane Ida adds misery to 'Cancer Alley': Part I
Sharon Lavigne | The World | September 21, 2021
Black residents in Louisiana communities hit hard by Hurricane Ida have been fighting for environmental justice there for decades. Hurricane Ida made their task even harder.
Cancer Alley Activists Score a Win Against Giant Plastics Conglomerate
Oliver Laughland | The Guardian | August 20, 2021
The US government has placed further delays on a proposed multibillion dollar plastics plant in south Louisiana, marking a major victory for environmental activists and members of the majority Black community who have campaigned for years against construction.
‘This is environmental racism’: activists call on Biden to stop new plastics plants in ‘Cancer Alley
Rachel Ramirez | The Guardian | May 17, 2021
On Monday, groups of climate activists protested against a proposed petrochemical complex an hour away from New Orleans, Louisiana, calling on the Biden administration to revoke the plastics company’s federal permit to start construction.
Cancer Alley’s been ignored by state’s top Democrats, activist says in Poor People Campaign event
Wes Muller | Louisiana Illuminator | March 2, 2021
One of the nation’s most prominent defenders of the poor and their right to live in environments free of pollution included Louisiana’s Cancer Alley in his weekly call to activism Monday during which a St. James Parish resident accused the state’s leading Democrats, specifically Gov. John Bel Edwards and ...
The Big March to Save Lives in Death Alley
The Lens | The Rev. William Barnwell | July 29, 2019
In spite of the important coverage the Lens has given to the cancer-causing emissions of petrochemical plants in St. James and St. John Parishes, most Louisiana readers must learn what’s going on from the national press.
Fishermen Again Protest in Central Vietnam Over 2016 Toxic Spill Payout
Radio Free Asia | January 24, 2018
About 100 mostly fishermen from central Vietnam’s Quang Binh Province have held three days of protests over what they say is inadequate compensation for lost livelihoods caused by a toxic waste spill that occurred along the country’s central coast in April 2016, a priest from the village told RFA.
Thousands of Vietnamese protest at Formosa Steel plant in Ha Tinh
Radio Free Asia | Refworld | October 3, 2016
Thousands of demonstrators converged on a Taiwanese steel factory in Vietnam's central province of Ha Tinh on Sunday to press claims over a major toxic spill in April that killed tons of fish and devastated the local economy.
- A Community Voice
- Alliance for Affordable Energy
- Climate Reality New Orleans
- Coalition Against Death Alley
- Healthy Gulf
- Justice and Beyond
- Louisiana Bucket Brigade
- Louisiana League of Conscious Voters
- New Orleans Office Sierra Club
- Poor Peoples Campaign
- SouthWings
- Sunrise Movement, New Orleans
- RISE St. James
- 350 New Orleans
& Lawsuits
Texas Plastics Corporation Will Pay Nearly $3 Million for Violating Clean Air Act
United States Department of Justice | September 13, 2021
Formosa Plastics Corporation, Texas, has agreed to pay $2.85 million in civil penalties and to improve its risk management program to resolve alleged violations of the Chemical Accident Prevention Provisions of the Clean Air Act (CAA) at its petrochemical manufacturing plant in Point Comfort, Texas.
Army Corps Orders Environmental Review of Proposed Formosa Plastics Plant in Louisiana’s ‘Cancer Alley’
Sharon Kelly | Desmog | August 18, 2021
The Formosa Sunshine Project in St. James Parish, Louisiana, will undergo a full formal environmental review, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced in a memorandum issued today and posted on Twitter.
Court dispute over proposed St. James Parish plastics plant takes another turn
David Mitchell | Houma Today | March 16, 2021
A three-judge state appellate panel found on Monday that an East Baton Rouge Parish judge "abused her discretion" when she directed state regulators to reevaluate critical air permits for a Formosa Plastics complex in St. James Parish even before hearing the merits of the case.
Formosa Plastics Settles Texas Pollution Case for $50 Million, No More Plastic Releases
Center for Biological Diversity | October 15, 2019
Formosa Plastics today settled a Clean Water Act lawsuit brought by a former shrimper and San Antonio Bay Estuarine Waterkeeper challenging its extensive plastic pollution of waterways around its Point Comfort, Texas plant.
Federal judge rules against Formosa Plastics in pollution case, calling company a "serial offender"
Kiah Collier | Texas Tribune | June 28, 2019
The judge determined this week that the Taiwanese-owned company has been in "enormous" violation of its state-issued permits and federal clean water laws for discharging plastic pellets and other pollutants into Lavaca Bay and other waterways from its plant in Point Comfort.
Environmentalists take petrochemical giant Formosa to court over plastics pollution
Carlos Anchondo | Texas Tribune | March 25, 2019
On a warm, breezy afternoon last week, Diane Wilson stood at the front of a deep, metal storage shed, covered in a sheen of sweat. It was still full of stuff — blue tarps, file cabinets, luggage and plastic boxes filled with paperwork. But it had been far more crowded just days earlier.
Environmental Impact
Nurdles: the worst toxic waste you’ve probably never heard of
Karen Mcveigh | The Guardian | November 21, 2021
When the X-Press Pearl container ship caught fire and sank in the Indian Ocean in May, Sri Lanka was terrified that the vessel’s 350 tonnes of heavy fuel oil would spill into the ocean, causing an environmental disaster for the country’s pristine coral reefs and fishing industry.
Formosa begins monitoring its plastic pollution under consent decree
Mark Rosenberg | Victoria Advocate | November 13, 2021
On Thursday afternoon, Seadrift environmental activist Diane Wilson rummaged in the mud along the banks of Cox Creek in Point Comfort and dug up a handful of dirt sprinkled with small plastic pellets.
Formosa Plant May Still Be Releasing Plastic Pollution in Texas After $50M Settlement, Activists Find
Julie Dermansky | EcoWatch | January 21, 2020
On the afternoon of Jan. 15, activist Diane Wilson kicked off a San Antonio Estuary Waterkeeper meeting on the side of the road across from a Formosa plastics manufacturing plant in Point Comfort, Texas.
Taiwan-Owned Steel Factory Caused Toxic Spill, Vietnam Says
Richard Paddock | New York Times | June 30, 2016
The government of Vietnam, breaking its silence about a huge fish kill in April, said on Thursday that the coastal disaster was caused by a Taiwan-owned steel factory that discharged a combination of chemicals, including cyanide, into the ocean.
PERI Pollution Indexes
Based on United States Environmental Protection Agency data ranking the top 100 worst polluters.
Former Formosa worker finds plastic pellets in bay
Sarah Sneath | Victoria Advocate | July 3, 2019
Ronnie Hamrick dumped debris from a 17-ounce disposable cup onto a concrete slab at the marina off Main Street.
Formosa Chemicals workers protest amid regulatory battle between company, local government
Reuters | October 15, 2016
About 5,000 Formosa Chemicals & Fiber Corp workers, their families and supporters staged a protest on Saturday, demanding the Changhua county government allow FCF’s factory in the area to resume production.
People Injured in Worker’s Protest
Phillip Charlier | Taiwan English News | October 6, 2016
Sixty people, including police and reporters were injured during a protest in Changhua County when protesters clashed with police over the closing down of a chemical plant.
Financials
Croctail Subsidiary Tool using the CorpWatch API - This API extracts the subsidiary relationship information from Exhibit 21 of companies' 10-K filings with the US SEC.
- CIK numbers link to SEC database (EDGAR)
- Section 21 links to SEC list of companies.
- Formosa Plastics Croctail Profile
Click here for the latest data.
Political Influence
Open Secrets - Tracks corporate lobbying of US politicians.
OpenSecrets.org Profile of Formosa Plastics
Import & Export Data
ImportYeti - Shipping Tracking Tool - Bill of ladings are public information that are too cost prohibitive, challenging to obtain and difficult to use for the average joe. ImportYeti's goal is to solve that problem.
- ImportYeti Profile of Formosa Plastics
& Evasion
The Undiscovered Asian Offshore Tax Haven
Common Wealth Magazine | March 8, 2018
In the second half of 2018, Taiwan will undergo an on-site evaluation by the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG), and if the group finds Taiwan has not met international standards, it could adversely affect the country’s financial and trade standing.
Army Corps pulls permit on Formosa project
Rick Mullin | C&EN | November 21, 2020
The US Army Corps of Engineers suspended a permit for the construction of Formosa Plastics’ $9.4 billion complex in St. James Parish, Louisiana, earlier this month, claiming that the Corps had eliminated from evaluation five alternative sites for the plant in nearby Ascension Parish ....
For massive new plants, Formosa wants OK to double amount of chemicals released into St. James Parish air
DAVID J. MITCHELL | The Advocate | July 8, 2019
Under new air permits proposed for Formosa’s $9.4 billion plastics complex in northern St. James Parish, the planned operation could emit enough new toxic chemicals to nearly double what already is released into the rural parish’s air.
Formosa Investing $9.4B In Louisiana Manufacturing Complex
Business Facilities | April 24, 2018
Formosa Petrochemical Corp. has selected Louisiana’s St. James Parish for a new $9.4 billion chemical manufacturing complex. The company has purchased a 2,400-acre site along the west bank of the Mississippi River, just downriver from the Sunshine Bridge, where in two phases it will build a complex....
Procurement
Formosa Plastics contracts with the U.S. Federal Government (via USA Spending)