Operations and innovation

PFAS remediation

3M will exit per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) manufacturing and work to discontinue the use of PFAS across our product portfolio by the end of 2025. During this transition, we will continue to deliver on our commitments, including remediating PFAS where appropriate, investing in water treatment, and collaborating with communities.

PFAS remediation

3M plans to invest more than $1 billion globally to achieve our corporate environmental goals, which includes installing water treatment technologies at our largest water-using locations. These state-of-the-art technologies can help make the water we discharge cleaner than when it enters our fluorochemical manufacturing sites.

How we’re addressing legacy PFAS

Reducing our footprint

3M plans to invest more than $1 billion globally to achieve our corporate environmental goals, which includes reducing our facilities’ overall water use and installing water treatment technologies at our largest water-using locations.

3M’s team of engineers, scientists, and other experts are carefully evaluating and installing state-of-the-art technologies – including those that capture water, filter and remove materials in water, and those that can help us recycle and reuse the amount of water in our operations overall – that can support the facility’s operations and needs.

There are many PFAS reduction technologies available, and the appropriate system is dependent on multiple factors. Some of the technologies include:

• Granular Activated Carbon: This is a proven technology that effectively removes PFAS like PFOA or PFOS from water. It works similarly to home water filters that people may recognize by capturing many PFAS molecules in a carbon filter. These filters may be regenerated for reuse, or if needed, disposed of safely.
• Reverse Osmosis: Reverse osmosis uses a scientifically advanced membrane to separate substances, including PFAS, from water. Water passes through the membrane while PFAS and other materials that may be present do not.
• Ion Exchange: Ion exchange uses a special resin, which is a bead-like material, that captures PFAS from water. When the resin has reached capacity, it can then be regenerated and reused multiple times or safely disposed of if needed.
• Thermal Oxidation: Thermal oxidation refers to pollution control technologies that help prevent air emissions of PFAS, as well as volatile organic compounds and greenhouse gases, using extremely high temperatures to break down molecules. 3M has or is currently installing these technologies at sites around the world, which will help us achieve our goal of carbon neutrality by 2050.

3M is acting to address PFAS

Like many parts of our lives, the way people approach management of chemicals has evolved significantly over time. As the science and technology of PFAS, societal and regulatory expectations, and our expectations of ourselves have evolved, so has how we manage PFAS.

The practices and technologies we use to manage fluorochemicals have evolved as we have learned more. We are enhancing our manufacturing technologies and facilities to reduce discharges and better manage these substances. We have also committed to remediating at sites where we manufactured fluorochemistries.

3M announced in December 2022 it will take two actions with respect to PFAS: exiting all PFAS manufacturing by the end of 2025, and working to discontinue the use of PFAS across its product portfolio by the end of 2025. 3M is progressing toward the exit of all PFAS manufacturing by the end of 2025. The Company continues to discuss its PFAS manufacturing exit, and related issues involving the disposition of manufacturing assets, with customers, government authorities, and other stakeholders, and the Company remains focused on completing the exit in a timely and orderly fashion

3M is also working to discontinue the use of PFAS across its product portfolio by the end of 2025 and has made progress in eliminating the use of PFAS across its product portfolio in a variety of applications. With respect to PFAS-containing products not manufactured by 3M in the Company's supply chains, the Company continues to evaluate the availability and feasibility of third-party products that do not contain PFAS. Depending on the availability and feasibility of such third-party products not containing PFAS, the Company continues to evaluate circumstances in which the use of PFAS-containing products manufactured by third parties and used in certain applications in 3M’s product portfolios, such as lithium ion batteries, printed circuit boards and certain seals and gaskets, all widely used in commerce across a variety of industries, and in some cases required by regulatory or industry standards, may or are expected to, depending on applications, continue beyond 2025. In other cases, sales of products manufactured before the end of 2025, regulatory approval, or customer re-certification or re-qualification of substitutes or replacements to eliminate the use of PFAS manufactured by third parties may not be completed, or, depending on circumstances, are not expected to be completed, by the end of 2025. With respect to PFAS-containing products manufactured by third parties, 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.

Engaging globally serves communities locally, and 3M is focused on leading in both spaces. We’re sharing knowledge, listening to leaders, and finding opportunities to collaborate on solutions.