Environmental association Dryade filed a complaint with civil party status against 3M on 23 June 2021. The complaint concerns PFOS pollution and targets not only 3M but also its current and former directors. Dryade focuses in its complaint not only on public health but also on the damage to the surrounding Habitat and Bird Directive areas such as Blokkersdijk, the Galgenweel, and the Scheldt.
The environmental association Dryade filed a complaint with civil party status with the Antwerp investigating judge on 23 June 2021. This targets 3M Belgium BV, the Belgian subsidiary of the multinational 3M, as well as the current and former directors.
The Antwerp public prosecutor's office already opened an investigation in mid-May into the PFOS pollution around the 3M site in Zwijndrecht. From the information that has appeared in the press over the past few weeks, it appears that the company was already aware of the negative effects on humans and the environment as early as the 1960s. In particular, the documents made public by Minnesota's attorney general, Lori Swanson, show how 3M misled the government and the public for decades.
The complaint is directed not only at the Belgian subsidiary of 3M but also at its current and former directors. This gives the public prosecutor and the judge the opportunity to implement the new regime of director liability in practice. One of the former directors is Ms. Denise Rutherford. Ms. Rutherford is the current Chief Corporate Affairs Officer of 3M. In that capacity, she is responsible for promoting the global branding and reputation of 3M, among other things through sustainability initiatives…