3M has completed its goal of phasing out “forever chemical” manufacturing by the end of 2025, company officials say.
The Maplewood-based company had announced in December 2022 it would discontinue the manufacture of PFAS in three years.
By ending production of the family of chemicals — prized for their durability, heat resistance and nonstick properties, though they also toxically accumulate in the environment and human bodies — 3M closes a chapter that both made and cost the company billions of dollars.
However, the manufacturer behind Post-it Notes and Scotch tape still expects it will have to use third-party parts and products containing PFAS as some uses are “required by regulatory or industry standards,” according to 3M’s previous quarterly reports.
“The company intends to continue to evaluate beyond the end of 2025 the adoption of third-party products that do not contain PFAS to the extent such products are available and such adoption is feasible,” the report said, pointing to lithium batteries, circuit boards, seals and gaskets as especially tricky areas to find PFAS-free alternatives.
3M also has leftover PFAS inventory, and the company “has taken, and will continue to take, actions to address PFAS manufactured prior to the phase out,” officials said this week in an emailed statement.
3M pioneered many uses of PFAS and, in recent years, was selling more than $1.2 billion worth of PFAS-containing products, according to company filings.
The wind-down of PFAS production cost 1,200 jobs globally and affected more than 22,000 items 3M made and used, the company previously said.
