Foxconn is building a huge facility in Mt. Pleasant Wisconsin. The State of Wisconsin has not only given Foxconn up to $4.5 billion in taxpayer money to subsidize the project, they have also exempted the facility from several key environmental laws which among other things exclude public input on the project. In response, the Sierra Club-John Muir Chapter has sent letters to Foxconn’s major corporate customers - Acer, Amazon, Apple, Blackberry, Cisco, Dell, Google, and HP – asking they make it clear to Foxconn that they will only purchase product from the Wisconsin facility if Foxconn builds a 21st-century facility. To reach this sustainable standard the facility must utilize clean energy, waste reduction technology and recycle all reusable excess. Keeping in mind people who live in close proximity to the facility and workers who will need to commute, Foxconn’s factory needs to be designed with flood prevention measures in mind and be accessible by public transit.
Information about Foxconn facility
- To attract the Foxconn facility the State of Wisconsin abandoned its long-standing reputation of environmental stewardship; Foxconn is exempt from standard environmental protection permits and procedures. The company can fill any non-federal wetlands without obtaining a permit and disregard the creation of an environmental impact statement.
- Wisconsin has given Foxconn up to $4.5 billion in taxpayer money.
- This facility will be huge. The total roof space will be approximately 22 million square feet, taking away large swathes of permeable surfaces that are essential to flood mitigation.
- The factory will manufacture liquid crystal displays which emit mercury, cadmium, and hydrogen fluoride waste among many other hazardous chemicals during the production process
- By exempting Foxconn from typical environmental regulation, the factory’s construction plans will not be subject to public input and reduces the opportunity for judicial review
- Technology currently exists and is in use, that would allow the facility to perform far beyond what is now required by the State of Wisconsin.
We are asking Foxconn’s customers to exercise their influence with Foxconn to ensure this is truly a 21st-century facility that will:
- Use 100% renewable energy,
- Use the most efficient recycling technologies,
- Reduce the amount of virgin material needed in manufacturing, and reduce or eliminate the harmful substances used in the process,
- Be designed to minimize storm-water runoff to protect against flooding,
- Not use pesticides to the maximum extent possible, and
- Encourage the use of public transit, bicycles, and other alternative transportation
Click here to take action! Send your own letter(s) to Foxconn’s major customers asking them to use their influence to ensure that Foxconn builds a 21st-century facility that will benefit all hardworking Wisconsinites and the wild places that define our state.