3M’s radical decision on forever chemical
The common materials labelled “forever chemicals” are linked to a wide range of health issues including cancers, and 3M has decided to no longer make or use them.
PFAS has excellent water-persistent properties, and are also used in non-stick cooking technology for pans that were produced first by Tefal. Tefal pans’ coating is called teflon that is a kind of plastic. The word of tefal is mix of teflon and aluminium.
Teflon(Polytetrafluoroethylene) is a petrol based synthetic chemical made up of carbon and fluorine atoms. It’s a fluorocarbon solid. In other words, teflon is made from PFAS components. Fast food wrapper is a teflon, too.
PFAS can also be found in car window tinting film, aerospace industry and fire fighting equipment such as foams and waterproof clothing.
They can be found in dangerous amounts both in the soil of the earth, and even within our bodies. PFAS is Perfluoralkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances that are a chain of linked carbon and fluorine atoms, which is really artificial strongest bond.
3M announced to stop produce and using the forever chemical, but in doing so still insisted that PFAS were safe, however they saw an opportunity to lead, and by phasing out the substances was positioning itself for a period of long term grow.
https://news.3m.com/2022-12-20-3M-to-Exit-PFAS-Manufacturing-by-the-End-of-2025
3M aimed to phase out manufacture of such PFAS by 2025 at the latest, and current obligation it had to supply them would still be honoured up until then.
Joseph Allen, who is an associate professor at Harvard’s School of Public Health said it was massive win for the public health stating on Twitter that it marked the beginning of the end for forever chemicals.
3M said with these two actions the company is committing to innovate toward a world less dependent upon PFAS. In the early 2000s, 3M had already phased out two of its PFAS.
The company is very successful, and generates around £1.1billion every year from PFAS sales, however in relation to its overall sales, that’s only 5% of its total revenues.
Climate campaigners and Eu welcome and ask more action
The radical move by the company has been due to increased regulation and public pressure about materials, which are known as PFAS. Climate campaigners hailed the decision as “a win for public health.”
Concern has been high regarding PFAS for some time however as they are not biodegradable, and do not break down under normal conditions within the environment.
While Toxic Free Future, a US based advocacy organisation was somewhat more reserved in its praise for 3M that the company must still be accountable for its supply of the PFAS in the past.
In the past lawsuits it has been suggested that companies have known about the threats presented by PFAS since the 1970s. Mind the Store campaign director Mike Schade commented:
“While today’s news is a win for public health, 3M must be held accountable for their decades of pollution. No one’s drinking water should be polluted for a rain jacket.”
And Clare Cavers, project manager at Fidra, an UK based environmental charity said she welcomed the move but more action needed to be taken: “”Such voluntary action supports moves towards existing alternatives to PFAS, and we now need UK legislation to ensure these changes are replicated across all sectors.”
The EU has already taken action, and are in the process of banning some of these PFAS, as is the US in certain states. There are over a thousand types of these PFAS and they are considered to be highly dangerous.
Campaigners are putting more pressure upon companies to give up production and use of these PFAS. In the UK both CO-OP and Asda have made pledges to stop using forever chemical products in packaging.
Recently in the US McDonalds and Burger King have been a few of the big corporations to pledge to stop using PFAS products in their packaging. MacDonalds aims to cease use of PFAS type packaging from its stores by 2025 at the latest.
Sources: bbc, pfasfree.com, news.3m.com
