Can you say conflict of interest? Synagro, nation’s largest biosludge producer, is a formal corporate partner of the Environmental Defense Fund
01/08/2019 / By Ethan Huff
Did you know that the nation’s largest producer of repurposed toilet waste, aka “biosolids,” is owned by an investment group that also maintains a “formal corporate partnership” with the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), one of the world’s largest, nonprofit environmental advocacy groups?
Synagro, which is described by SourceWatch as “the largest processor of sewage sludge in the United States,” has been owned by the private equity firm The Carlyle Group since 2007. And according to an EDF press release, the Carlyle Group has been tied to the EDF since at least 2010.
Back in March of that year, Carlyle partnered up with EDF to create a business review process known as “EcoValuScreen” that “unlocks opportunities for operational improvement and value creation through enhanced environmental management at potential investments.” In laymen’s terms, the program’s design allows companies like Synagro an inside look at how to create maximum investment potential in the name of “sustainable” business development.
Why is all of this important? Because it proves once again that the biosolids, or biosludge, industry is in bed with environmental non-profit groups that are supposed to be protecting the environment against things like biosludge – not endorsing it. And yet, it would seem as though this partnership between Synagro and the EDF involves figuring out ways to spread more biosludge and generate obscene profits in the process.
For more biosludge news, be sure to check out Biosludge.news.
The Carlyle Group hired former EDF executive as its “chief sustainability officer” in 2014
If that isn’t enough, there also appears to be a revolving door between the biosludge industry and prominent environmental groups like the EDF. Back in 2014, it was announced that Carlyle had actually hired on a former EDF executive by the name of Jackie Roberts to be its “chief sustainability officer.”
This announcement clearly states that Roberts’ position was a “newly created role” that will allow her, as a former biosludge advocate, to “lead the firm’s global environmental, social and governance (ESG) efforts and work with portfolio companies to drive ESG principals.”
Keep in mind that one of Carlyle’s “portfolio companies” is none other than Synagro, which if you read between the lines suggests that one of Roberts’ roles at the EDF is to advance the bottom line agenda of Synagro to spread its business and generate more profits.
It’s a similar revolving-door scenario as to what happens between the drug industry and government, with former pharmaceutical executives being hired on at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to influence policy in favor of Big Pharma.
This and other backdoor dealings are discussed at length in the new Brighteon Films documentary film Biosludged, which delves deep into the corruption that exists between the biosludge industry and the environmental protection sector.
Not only are companies like Synagro cozying up to groups that are supposed to be protecting the rest of us against companies like Synagro, but Synagro and others are also forking over large sums of cash to keep the contracts flowing.
Be sure to check out the official trailer for Biosludged at Brighteon.com.
As we recently reported, some people are beginning to wake up to the dangers of biosludge, and are actively fighting against it in their local communities. But there’s still a whole lot more work to do to protect our nation and its many communities from being targeted with toxic biosludge.
To learn more about the Biosludged film project, be sure to check out BrighteonFilms.com. You can also watch Biosludged in its entirety for FREE at Biosludged.com.
Sources for this article include:
Tagged Under: Biosludge, biosludge industry, Biosludged, Biosolids, Brighteon, Brighteon Films, chief sustainability officer, corruption, deception, Ecology, EcoValueScreen, EDF, environ, Environmental Defense Fund, fascism, Jackie Roberts, lies, revolving door, sewage sludge, Synagro, The Carylyle Group, toilet waste, toxic waste
