US chemical company 3M plans to stop producing PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) products worldwide by the end of 2025, Gazet van Antwerpen reports.
Good news for the environment, as PFAS – also known as forever chemicals – are known to contaminate the environment and cause illness. However, for workers of 3M’s Zwijndrecht plant in Antwerp, this ecological move risks costing jobs.
“It’s some 300 people. They are worried about what the consequences will be,” said the unions representing the workers.
While the announcement suggests that the days of PFAS production are soon over, workers and environmental activists are waiting on further clarification about which specific PFAS chemicals will be discontinued. The chemicals are used in everything from non-stick cookware to water-repellent clothing, stain-resistant fabrics, cosmetics, and firefighting products.
An action of Greenpeace Belgium near the 3M site, holding signs reading "the polluter must pay." Credit: Belga
While the prospect of a total abandonment of PFAS is encouraging to environmental activists, who helped unearth the true extent of 3M’s pollution around its Zwijndrecht plant, the prospect is less thrilling for its workers.
“Of course, workers are worried,” ABVV union secretary Levi Sollie told Gazet van Antwerpen. The US decision to stop producing PFAS chemicals reportedly blindsided the Belgian management, who were only told of the decision at a meeting on 20 December.
At its Antwerp production facility, 3M employs some 300 people, including 165 workers. In 50 days, staff are set to receive more information about the changes. “The phase-out will be systematic to give customers time to adjust. In the meantime, investments will also be made in new activities. That gives us hope,” said ACV secretary Ruben de Backer.
Polluting chemicals
The ACV union is worried that PFAS production will now simply move to other companies that are even less respectful of the environment. Professor Karl Vrancken, an expert on PFAS contamination in Flanders, says that 3M is now successfully dealing with pollution at its Zwijndrecht site. Nevertheless, the expert said that PFAS pollution was now ubiquitous in Flanders and that a risk to health could not be ruled out.
“3M is one of the major producers of PFAS-containing products worldwide. With their decision, they are ahead of European decision-making, which provides for a slower phase-out,” said Vrancken.
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This year, 3M pledged €571 million to remediate Zwijndrecht and the surrounding areas. Each year, 3M’s PFAS production accounts for €1.2 billion in turnover. The decision is largely driven by the threat of incoming legislation banning these products and demanding compensation. The company is facing over 2,000 damaged claims, which could cost upwards of $30 billion.
In a comment to US financial publication Bloomberg, 3M Chief Executive Mike Roman said that the decision was an opportunity to “switch to opportunities with more perspective.” Local politicians are reportedly pleased with the decision to stop PFAS production at Zwijndrecht, which has caused years of concern to local residents.
