German trade union urges 3M to maintain Dyneon subsidiary

HANOVER, Germany—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."

St. Paul, Minn.-based 3M, however, has rejected options for the resale of its PFAS factories, patents and licenses. Some 700 employees will be directly affected by the plant closure and "the entire chemical park could falter as a result," IGBCE said.

Dyneon produces fluoropolymers used in a range of vital industrial applications, including batteries, energy production and microchips.

According to the union, Dyneon is responsible for 30 percent of European production volume and is the region's only manufacturer for some product classes.

"Ending production in Gendorf would deprive the German and European industry of one of their most important sources of raw materials," said the IGBCE resolution.

German politicians and 3M, it said, "must take responsibility for the people in the Bavarian chemical triangle and for technological sovereignty in Germany and Europe."