The environmental organization Greenpeace wants to stop toxic colonialism, in which developed nations send their hazardous wastes to less developed countries with lax environmental laws. The United Nations has proposed regulations entitled The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes & Their Disposal. The regulations seek to ban the export of hazardous waste from the developed to lesser developed countries. In 1995, 91 nations were signatories to the agreement.

Orville is an engineer who works for Copper Recyclers, Inc. They ship bales of used copper wire from Canada to the Philippines, where they have a processing plant. Because the copper is used, it is contaminated with small amounts of tin-lead solder. He is concerned that the Basel Convention will affect his companys business because of the lead content in their bales. He must make a recommendation to his boss whether to relocate the processing plant in Canada.