DuPont, Chemours and Corteva to Pay $875 Million to New Jersey over PFAS Pollution Claims
Chemical companies Chemours, DuPont and Corteva have reached an agreement with the state of New Jersey to pay $875 million over 25 years in a settlement to resolve environmental claims including pollution from PFAS, the ‘forever chemicals.’
Announced on 4th August 2025, the settlement also requires the companies to set up a remediation fund of up to $1.2 billion. The payments will be split, with Chemours covering half of the settlement agreement, DuPont 35.5%, and Corteva paying the remaining amount. The payments will begin no earlier than January 1, 2026.
This follows a settlement agreement in 2023 where the same 3 companies resolved PFAS-associated claims with the state of Ohio to the price of $110 million. In the same year, the company 3M agreed to pay $10.3 billion to settle claims over PFAS-contaminated water supplies.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a family of over 10,000 highly persistent chemicals. They are often referred to as ‘forever chemicals’, because they take generations to break down in the environment. Exposure to some PFAS has been linked to numerous health impacts, such as certain cancers, reduced fertility, and the disruption of the immune system.
The EU has recently seen another significant ruling with former executives of the Italian chemical company Miteni being sentenced to a total of 141 years in jail for PFAS pollution from a chemical plant leaching into drinking water.
In the UK, Wyre District Council and the Environment Agency (EA) are conducting a joint investigation into PFAS contamination near a former chemical plant in Lancashire operated by AGC Chemicals. Testing near the site found levels of PFOA (a very hazardous chemical, banned globally since 2019 under the Stockholm Convention) at concentrations as high as 25 times the EA’s screening level.
These cases highlight the growing legal costs and consequences associated with PFAS production around the globe.
CHEM Trust supports the EU-wide universal PFAS restriction, which will apply to all PFAS, and once introduced, will control pollution at source.
Read more about the universal PFAS restriction here, and the availability of PFAS alternatives.
