For those companies relying on China for their sourcing needs it’s crunch time. This week factories around Beijing are downing tools to help the Chinese capital hit its pollution targets as the countdown to the 2008 Olympics enters its final stage.
 
From July 20 the Chinese government will enforce construction sites, mines and chemical plants around Beijing to stop churning out CO2 until the self-styled greatest show on earth finally leaves town in mid-September.
 
Polluting factories around the capital will be put under pressure to cut emissions by as much as 30%, while more than 300 factories in the cities of Tianjin and Tangshan will also cease production for the next eight weeks.
 
The news may be welcome for the long-suffering residents of a city where pollution is a daily hazard but for already stretched supply chains the shut-down is about as desirable as a visit from the taxman.
 
China has invested $17bn is an attempt to clean up its environmental act before the world’s media descends on the country – although whether this short-term solution is any solution at all is a moot point. Fighting pollution is, after all, a marathon and not a sprint.