Why they're dirty...

AGC Chemicals

Originally a producer of raw materials, urethane, gas, solvents. Since January 2023, it's expanded its remit to cover “life sciences”. In 2019, AGC acquired Molmed, a gene and cell therapy organisation in Italy and most recently acquired a Biopharmaceutical Commercial Facility in Colorado, formerly owned by AstraZeneca, which became universally recognised as a manufacturer of a problematic covid adenoviral vector covid vaccine. AGC Chemicals also offers services to the mRNA technology sector. AGC is one of the world’s leading producers of PFAS chemicals. Only a few months ago, more than 700 different PFAS chemicals were found leaching from the company’s plant near Blackpool in the UK, into Lancashire’s the River Wyre, a marine protection zone for key fish species, such as smelt (cucumber fish). AGC continues to deny it’s done anything wrong, insisting the company has stopped using PFOA. The denials totally miss the point that perfluoroalkyl ethers (a type of PFAS) were found in the river, which are now used as a replacement for PFOA and produced in high quantities by AGC. AGC has invested €240 million in expanding its fluoropolymer production capacity in Japan.

Archroma 

Archroma claims to be on a mission of “enhancing people’s lives and respecting the planet”. The ‘Archroma way’ to a sustainable world is described as “safe, efficient, enhanced. It’s our nature”. What’s not that safe is the extensive use of PFAS in firefighting foams and clothing used by firefighters. A lawsuit was filed by firefighters in America against these PFAS giants, including Archroma, after they were found with elevated levels of these forever chemicals and elevated incidences of cancer. A recent UK study confirms that UK firefighters suffer significant excess mortality from cancer compared with the general population, with exposure to PFAS and other chemicals being among the likely mechanisms.  

Arkema

A company with an apparently noble mission, Arkema professes to take care that “neither people’s health or safety, nor the environment are impacted by its products”. Paradoxically, high levels of PFAS have been found in the blood of local residents from Lyon, where there is also an Arkema plant that is accused of discharging a massive 3.5 tonnes of concentrated PFAS into the Rhône every year.

BASF 

Despite BASF’s desire to “contribute to a better world with enhanced quality of life for everyone” given it was also part of the Nazi-run, IG Farben conglomerate, the company is clearly failing. BASF’s Ludwigshafen site alone consumes more natural gas than the whole of Denmark! On its website, BASF is silent on the total health-related costs of PFAS production across Europe, which has been estimated at around €52-84 billion per year, with impacts including liver damage, decreased fertility and cancer. But BASF can presumably count on having the best and most expensive lawyers on its side if it finds itself in court, given Blackrock, the world’s largest asset manager, which continues to finance deforestation, holds more than 5% shareholding in BASF.

Bayer

Big Chem, Big Pharma player, Bayer, a company that emerged from IG Farben that was responsible for Zyklon B used in the gas chambers during the Holocaust, is a PFAS big hitter. It’s also a defender of the continued use of the controversial and most widely used herbicide, glyphosate, arguing that “glyphosate-based herbicides will continue to play a key role in helping agriculture meet pressing environmental and food security challenges”. Numerous studies have now revealed the detrimental effects of glyphosate on human health (such as here). Bayer was also a sponsor of the Ethoprophos study and suppressed findings that certain pesticides have toxic effects on brain development. These findings were withheld and not communicated to the European Union and approval of these was based on the erroneous conclusion that there were no behavioural effects, despite the study showing otherwise, with Bayer having full awareness of the cover up, a phenomenon known as ‘guilty knowledge’. Bayer currently faces up to 154,000 claims from Roundup (glyphosate) users who attribute their cancer to the weedkiller. High levels of PFAS were also found in its mosquito killer, two of which are linked to health problems. On Bayer’s board sits Bill Anderson, CEO of Roche Pharmaceuticals, key makers of SARS-CoV-2 tests and a company found to have defrauded US taxpayers. 

Chemours

Chemour declares “safety obsession” among its purpose and values, proclaiming itself to be “the world’s foremost experts in how to achieve it”. Such claims appear to be invalidated given the company’s efforts, alongside other manufacturers, to publicly push back against the introduction of a draft proposal to restrict the use of PFAS chemicals in the EU. The justification of Big Chem is that a ban on PFAS will affect the ‘green economy’ and the manufacturing of electric vehicles which is reliant on chemicals such as fluoropolymers. The reaction is unsurprising since the company is one of the world’s leading PFAS producers, deriving a quarter of its turnover from these compounds.

Daikin

Another winner in the PFAS Dirty Dozen stakes, Daikin, also develops fluoromaterials for 5G and 6G and is committed to advancing 6G communications services and businesses. Its net sales are over $27 billion, with sales rising, and it recently invested $300 million in a Technology and Innovation Center, paying little attention to the effects these technologies are having on people and the planet.

Dongyue

A glorious picture is painted by the Dongyue Group Chairman’s statement comparing the company with a mountain: “as long as Dongyue’s care for society and general public is omnipresent and endless, Dongyue will be eternal like a mountain”. More apt would have been to mention that PFAS are eternal, hence their common name, ‘forever chemicals’. Dongyue has been accused of ‘gaming the system’ after it asked other companies to pay for the disposal of fluoroform (=trifluoromethane, a toxic byproduct from the production of chemical refrigerants) by selling ‘carbon credits’. Fluoroform is a greenhouse gas that has an atmospheric lifetime of around 260 years and traps 11,700 times as much heat as carbon dioxide.

Honeywell

Aerospace, building technology and materials specialist, Honeywell has an impressive list of lawsuits to its name. Challenges here have possibly inspired the company’s interests in more distant horizons, these including a desire to see a “sustained presence on the Moon” and exploiting opportunities for “mining and manufacturing”. More down to Earth is Honeywell’s PFAS production which includes its co-liability in the pollution of waterways, such as Hoosick Falls, NY and contamination of waterways and wildlife in South Carolina. Then there are cases of the accidental releases of highly toxic and radioactive uranium hexafluoride from Honeywell’s uranium conversion plant in Metropolis, IL, including one earlier this year and another in 2014, the seriousness of which the company tried to downplay. Locals have been understandably concerned about the company’s lack of communication and transparency. Honeywell is also being taken to court for knowingly dumping mercury into the Turtle River over many years, leading to the intoxication of water resulting in poisoned fish, oysters and crabs. Locals claim that “Honeywell has a history of not doing right for our community, and yes, that continues to this day”. All of this, and more, makes Honeywell’s claims of valuing community, integrity and sustainability appear less than hollow.

Merck

Merck is not only a giant of Big Pharma, it’s also a leading PFAS producer, as well as being a pioneer of cell-based meat. They are stigmatising meat-eating in the name of sustainability, whilst only focusing on emissions and ignoring the fact that healthy, organic-matter agricultural soils act as carbon sinks as we’ve explained in a previous article. 

Solvay

Solvay is on a mission to tackle climate change, particularly through its One Planet strategy which is in line with the UN’s Sustainable Goals (SDGs) that have yet to achieve any of their lofty goals, whether these are decarbonising economies, alleviating global poverty, or eradicating disease. The One Planet has taken inspiration from the World Health Organization (WHO)’s One Health agenda that wants to give WHO the power to make all the decisions relating to the environment, animal and human health through a monolithic approach. We’ve highlighted the dangers of top-down, one-size fits all approaches before, such as here.

Despite Solvay’s purported altruism, the company had to pay almost $393 million after polluting drinking water supplies in New Jersey with PFAS.  

3M

Few won’t have heard of 3M and even used their famous Scotch tape or Post-its. They are billed as one of the “world’s most ethical companies” (according to The Ethisphere), while also denying liability for contamination of the soils, aquafers and other parts of the environment, despite having to agree to a $10.3 billion pay out over 10 years towards ‘cleaning up’ polluted waterways affecting 300 communities in South Carolina. Not only that, in August 2023, 3M was forced to pay over $6 billion to settle lawsuits brought by military service members and veterans who suffered hearing damage on the battlefield or during training while using defective earplugs made by 3M. 3M invests in its educational program called STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) designed for schools to encourage young people to study science. Séverine Trouillet, the Chief Executive of STEM in the UK, is keen on the idea of “empowering the workforce of the future to use technology as a force for good”, no doubt inspired by Trouillet's previous work at Dassault Systemes, a leader in the virtual experience 3D industry. 3M is also planning to invest $1 billion over 20 years in ‘environmental commitments’ including climate ‘tech’, industrial automation and data centers.