Germany's trade union for mining, chemicals and energy workers, IGBCE, has urged 3M to drop plans to discontinue production of fluoropolymers in the country.
3M last year announced the phase-out of all per- and polyfluorinated chemicals (PFAS) — including fluoroelastomers manufactured by its Dyneon subsidiary, which produces 180,000 metric tons of fluorine-based polymers per year, including fluoroelastomers, PTFE and fluoroplastics and polymer additive, according to the company website.
Located at the Gendorf Chemical Park in southeast Germany, the Dyneon plant is among the facilities to be closed by the end of 2025 and then dismantled. IGBCE linked this closure to 3M's efforts to eliminate its use of PFAS in response to the European Chemicals Agency's regulatory moves to ban all types of PFAS.
The trade union, in a June 13 resolution, urged 3M to maintain manufacturing operations at the production site in Gendorf and not to close its Dyneon subsidiary.
"We call on 3M to sell Dyneon GmbH with licenses and patents," the union said, adding that "there are interested parties for a takeover."