Nation sees 1st criminal verdict for pollution harmful to ozone

A local court in Zhejiang province has handed down the country's first criminal verdict on cases related to pollution from ozone-depleting substances, commonly known as ODS, sentencing a factory runner 10 months in jail.

The person, who is only disclosed as Qi, the legal representative of Minghe Thermal Insulation Material Co in Huzhou city, Zhejiang, received a sentence for the illegal purchase and consumption of 849.5 metric tons of CFC-11, a type of ODS, in the company's production in the past three years.

The ozone layer helps shield the Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation.

While fining Qi 50,000 yuan ($7,060), the Deqing county people's court also charged the company 700,000 yuan and confiscated the company's illegal gain of over 1.4 million yuan, according to a media release from the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

The case was unearthed in a two-month campaign the ministry launched in 2019 to rule out illegal ODS production and consumption. Other people from Shandong, Henan and Jiangsu provinces who supplied the substance to the Zhejiang company were also arrested, but they have yet to be sentenced.

The ministry also reiterated the country's zero-tolerance policy toward the illegal production and use of ODS, and said violations will be severely punished.