The Seb group and its subsidiary Tefal are protesting against the bill aimed at banning PFAS, also called “eternal pollutants”.
General mobilization at Tefal. Management, unions and employees of the SEB household appliances group demonstrated on Wednesday April 3, 2024 in front of the National Assembly in Paris. The group chartered buses to bring demonstrators to Paris from Côte-d’Or, Manche and Haute-Savoie. SEB also provided stoves to make maximum noise. They protested against the environmentalist bill which aims to reduce exposure to PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) known as “eternal pollutants”. The objective? Put pressure on elected officials during questions to the government and highlight the risk that this proposed law poses to employment.
Supported by the EELV deputy for Gironde, Nicolas Thiery, it aims to reduce the population’s exposure to PFAS by prohibiting the manufacture and sale of certain products that contain them. This bill denounces the presence of fluorine and Teflon, which make pans non-stick. The SEB group indicates that it does not use Teflon in its non-stick coatings and affirms that PFAS, used in particular in the manufacture of the famous Tefal pans, do not present a health hazard. The proposal will be debated and put to the vote of deputies on Thursday April 4, 2024.
In-depth analyzes
Widely used in the chemical industry, PFAS are almost indestructible. In January 2024, the Regional Health Agency (ARS) revealed the results of a study on the presence of PFAS in water. Faced with these substances which accumulate over time in the air, the soil, the waters of rivers, food and even the human body, the waters of around fifty municipalities in the Chemistry Valley south of Lyon had rates above the European reference threshold.