BASF, the world’s largest chemicals group, will phase out PFAS by 2028 as it joins a raft of major companies turning their back on controversial ‘forever chemicals’, reports Chemsec, the Gothenburg, Sweden-based independent non-profit organisation.

According to the recently-published ChemScore index, one-third of major chemicals manufacturers say they intend to exit highly persistent chemicals, the toxic group to which PFAS belong.

“Considering the need to maintain high safety and environmental standards, BASF calls for substituting the use of PFAS in industrial equipment,” BASF said in a statement.

The German conglomerate, with sales of €65 billion last year, said it will phase out products formulated with PFAS – excluding crop protection – and provide alternatives to customers.

BASF told ChemSec it adopted this position in May 2023 and although the company does not provide a clear exit date, its sustainability manual indicates the phase-out must take place by 2028.

“PFAS pollution is a growing concern among investors with significant long-term implications,” said Tsitsi Griffiths, a steering committee member of the Investor Initiative on Hazardous Chemicals (IIHC). “Substituting PFAS with safer alternatives is an essential first step companies must take not only to safeguard ecosystems and public health, but also to mitigate long-term risks to shareholder value arising from regulatory tightening, compliance obligations and potential litigation exposure.”

The IIHC, with 75+ investors and over $23 trillion under management or advice, has made the substitution of PFAS and all persistent chemicals a key demand on the industry.

Ecolab follows broader trend

US-based Ecolab, with $16 billion in sales last year, will also exit PFAS by 2026, ChemSec can reveal. Taken together with the ChemScore results, this demonstrates that BASF’s move is part of a broader trend among big chemical producers.

“By end of 2026, all chemical products manufactured by Ecolab with intentionally added PFAS will be removed from our global portfolio,” the company said in a statement.

“In these times of political retreat from sustainability, Ecolab is an American company that is not afraid to do the right thing, is blunt and outspoken in public, and is moving forward,” said Sonja Haider, head of sustainable finance at ChemSec. “Some investors tell us you can’t achieve anything on sustainability in the US but the example of Ecolab shows that this is false.”

The finding that chemical giants intend to exit PFAS and other persistent chemicals is one of many in this year’s ChemScore index of sustainable chemicals management. ChemScore reports that 33% of the major listed chemicals manufacturers have stated publicly their general intention to phase out, reduce or avoid chemicals that are highly persistent in the environment.

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