Environmental association Dryade filed on June 23d 2021 a complaint against 3M. The complaint regards the PFOS pollution in Zwijndrecht (Belgium) and concerns 3M Belgium and its current and former directors. Dryade focuses in its complaint on public health and on the damages to the nature reserves protected under the Habitats and Birds Directive: Blokkersdijk, het Galgenweel and the Sea Scheldt.
Environmental association Dryade filed on June 23d 2021 a complaint and presented itself as a civil party before the public prosecutor in Antwerp. The complaint concers 3M Belgium, the Belgian subsidiary of the multinational 3M, as well as its current and former directors.
The office of the public prosecutor opened mid May an investigation regarding the PFOS pollution on the 3M site in Zwijndrecht. A series of press articles that have been published over the last weeks shows that the company knew about the negative effects of PFOS for humans and environment since the 60’s. In particular the documents published by Lori Swanson, district attorney in Minnesota, show how 3M has been misleading the authorities and the public since for decades.
The complaint concerns both the Belgian subsidiary of 3M and its current en former board members. This way the public prosecutor and the judge have been offered the opportunity to bring the new regime of directors’ liability in pratice. One of the former board members is Ms. Denise Rutherford. Ms. Rutherford is the current Chief Corporate Affairs Officer of 3M. In this capacity she is in charge of improving the worldwide branding and reputation of 3M, o.a. through sustainability initiatives.