Environment and Sustainability

Last summer (2023), it was reported that a multinational company active in the production of plastic films, including adhesives, agreed to pay an amount close to $12.5 billion to local authorities in several American states.

Environment and Sustainability

Last summer (2023), it was reported that a multinational company active in the production of plastic films, including adhesives, agreed to pay an amount close to $12.5 billion to local authorities in several American states. The funds were intended for the remediation of aqueducts contaminated with PFAS, the English acronym for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, some of which are more commonly known commercially as Teflon.
PFAS have a wide range of uses due to their water- repellent, non-stick, and high-temperature resistant properties. They can be found in firefighting foams, non-stick coatings for cookware and baking paper, cosmetics and soaps, clothing and footwear, food packaging, household appliances, paints, and more. It is an exceptionally broad class of chemical compounds.

The first signs of the problem arose when it was discovered that Pfas are highly persistent in nature, so much so that they were defined as “Forever Chemicals” or POPs “Persistent Organic Pollutants”. This stability is due to the Carbon-Fluorine bond which cannot be degraded or oxidized by Oxygen, as Fluorine is the most electronegative element. Unfortunately, their proximity to the food chain, their ability to bioaccumulate and their indefinite persistence in the environment make them particularly dangerous. It has been established that they cause neoplasms, prenatal malformations and damage to the immune system. The 2001 Stockholm Convention under the UN environmental program recognized the problem, while the subsequent ban on the compounds is still incomplete.

Numerous classes of compounds once recognized as dangerous, carcinogenic and harmful to health and more generally to life on Earth, have had a very long phase out period before definitively exiting production, marketing and finally use. Just think of the materials containing asbestos whose sale was banned in Italy in 1992 after the dangers due to its use had been known for at least twenty years.

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Since 1975, chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) gases have been recognized as harmful to the atmospheric ozone layer (Ozone Depleting Substances). These chemical compounds, used for many years as refrigerants, solvents, and propellants, are also known as halons and freons. Despite the strong scientific evidence, it wasn’t until the 1985 Vienna Conference and the 1987 Montreal Protocol that significant action was taken. From 1986 to 2016, CFC production was reduced by 98%, but due to previous emissions, the effects on the ozone layer will persist for many years.

Atmospheric ozone plays a crucial role in blocking UVB radiation from the Sun. Without this protection, UVB rays can damage DNA, leading to an increased risk of tumors.

Delays in phasing out compounds recognized as dangerous come with a very high social, health, and environmental cost borne by the community. Even productive and economic aspects, when addressing global challenges, cannot be approached with short-term thinking, as the ultimate cost will rise proportionally to the time wasted.

In order to prevent the use and spread of dangerous or potentially dangerous molecules and materials, Bilma supports companies by conducting detailed assessments of raw and auxiliary materials used in production processes. These assessments extend to finished products, by-products, packaging, and waste.

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