Fireworks industry faces bleak winter amid smog concerns(2)

In December, government of Nanchang, capital of east China's Jiangxi Province announced the cancellation of a large-scale fireworks display which was scheduled to be held on December 31 in order to "reduce emission of pollution and maintain fine air quality".

Lidu fireworks company, located in Jiangxi, is a leading producer of large-scale fireworks. The company's vice general manager Hou Zhongping said their business has been hit by nationwide cancellations of large fireworks shows in the past few years.

THE GREEN WAY OUT?

Under the pressure of environmental concerns, producers are working to develop more environmentally-friendly fireworks.

The alternative products are mostly made with improved black powder and new chemicals, which contain less heavy metal and sulphur, reducing emission of harmful sulfide.

According to Panda Fireworks, the company developed sulfide-free fireworks last year, which now account for 70 percent of the products prepared for sale this Spring Festival.

Now, 70 to 80 percent of Lidu's production are environmentally friendly, Hou said.

Green fireworks, however, are still too new, with high research and development costs pushing up the retail price.

According to Wang Sheng, a firework store owner, the price of one box of sulfide-free green fireworks is about 600 yuan (95.9 U.S. dollars), 10 to 15 percent higher than normal fireworks.

In China' Henan Province, an inventor has created a new kind of firecracker that uses no explosives.

Producing an explosive sound by releasing compressed air from a closed cavity, his fireworks cost around 150 yuan per unit, ten times the price of traditional firecrackers.

The price of green products will hopefully drop as market demand and production expand.

Chen Jian, a political advisor in Jiangxi Province, said local governments should take measures to help the firework companies research and develop environmentally-friendly products.

Rao Hui, chief engineer of the environment monitoring station of Nanchang City, said green fireworks can both satisfy the needs of environmental protection and reservation of traditional customs.

Authorities should help strengthen the market demand for green fireworks by heightening public awareness of the merits of the products, he said.