Three years ago, we listed the top PFAS producers. But things move fast these days. This is especially true for PFAS, with massive lawsuits and upcoming bans looming over companies that continue to produce these “forever chemicals”.
So now, it’s time to update that list.
This report will lay out who the top PFAS producers are, look into how dependent they are on PFAS production, and what strategies they have for the future.
This report will also demonstrate that — despite the strong headwinds facing forever chemicals — most producers are actually expanding their PFAS capacity due to certain market demands.
Most producers are set to expand PFAS production
ChemSec’s research reveals that the majority of producers are expanding their PFAS capacity. The expansion is driven by three main sources of demand — AI and data-centre infrastructure, semiconductor manufacturing, and lithium-ion battery materials.
PFAS manufacturers all over the world are explicitly framing their investments around “the AI revolution” and microchip fabrication. Battery-grade fluoropolymers are a parallel growth area, in which Arkema and Syensqo are expanding their existing production and building new manufacturing facilities.
Two examples highlight this trend.
US manufacturer Solstice has doubled its size through a huge acquisition. The CEO told investors in June that strong AI demand represents a “generational opportunity” for growth. And we know what that means: a lot more PFAS. Japanese multinational Daikin plans to more than triple its fluoropolymer production capacity in response to the rapidly growing semiconductor market. It is building a new factory, set to start manufacturing more PFAS next year.
This global trend towards expanding PFAS production raises the frightening prospect that the partial restrictions on PFAS favoured by some politicians will be swept aside by a tidal wave of new output. It confirms that the only effective method to end this toxic pollution crisis is to implement universal bans with strictly time-limited derogations to enable certain sectors to adjust.
The only clear exceptions are 3M and BASF, which have announced they will cease production as expensive legal challenges to their PFAS pollution pile up, and Archroma, which markets PFAS-free alternatives. These companies are sending a signal to the rest of the industry – it can be done, and it must be done.
Here are the top 10 PFAS producers
Before we get into who the top PFAS producers in the world are, let’s take a quick look at the PFAS market as a whole. How big is it?
Although the data is inconsistent, the majority of reports show that the global PFAS market is worth $25–30 billion. For comparison, this is what Americans alone spend on Valentine’s Day. Compared to the total market size of all chemicals ($6 trillion), the global PFAS market is peanuts (less than 1%).
But the most important comparison is with the societal, environmental and human health costs inflicted by PFAS. These were estimated earlier this year by the EU Commission at €440 billion in Europe alone.
Methodology
The list is based on the SIN Producers List and the number of PFAS substances chemical companies produce or import in the European Union or the United States. Due to the fact that this is an extremely opaque industry, there is unfortunately no available information on production volumes or what is being produced in other regions of the world, such as Asia.
However, through our own data sources that we have built up over many years, as well as digging into public company documents, ChemSec is confident in saying that the companies named below are the biggest PFAS producers in the world. Companies are sorted in alphabetical order.
AGC
This Japanese chemical company focuses on the production of fluoropolymers (in other words, PFAS plastic). This segment makes up an important part of the company’s revenue.
Even though AGC is producing three PFAS substances less than last time around, the company does not seem set on phasing out forever chemicals anytime soon. Nor does it seem interested in developing safer alternatives. Instead, AGC is set to scale up PFAS production due to increased demand from the semiconductor industry. Last year, the company expanded one of its plants to increase ETFE and PVDF production capacity and has now promised new products for the semiconductor sector.
Interestingly, in AGC’s annual report, there is only one mention of PFAS, stating that the company is “closely monitoring trends toward stricter regulation on organic fluorochemicals (PFAS)”. Seems a tad underreported given that it’s an important business segment.
Archroma
Headquarters
Pratteln, Switzerland
Revenue
$1.5–1.7 billion (estimation)
ChemScore 2025 ranking
N/A
The Swiss chemical producer Archroma is the only privately owned company on this list. In theory, this could allow for a more long-term sustainability strategy. Since there is no immediate need to prioritise short-term profits, as in a publicly owned company, it could facilitate PFAS exit plans.
Archroma still produces 10 PFAS substances but seems to be heading in the right direction. The company has stopped producing five of them since last time around. And more importantly, the company has been busy developing safer alternatives in various product categories. As one of few companies, Archroma has also been vocal about the need for industry to transition away from PFAS and by performing voluntary phase-outs of PFAS, shown that the company is a frontrunner.
Nice work, Archroma!
Arkema
French materials company Arkema produces the exact same number of PFAS substances as it did three years ago. So, all quiet on the Arkema front? No, the company is the subject of one of Europe’s largest civil lawsuits. In January 2026, 192 citizens and four environmental associations filed a joint lawsuit against Arkema and Daikin over PFAS contamination.
The company does not seem intent on exiting the PFAS business anytime soon. Arkema is expanding its PVDF production capacity in North America and China to meet demand for lithium-ion batteries and the expanding semiconductor and cable markets. The company has also opened a new $60m production unit in Kentucky to make HFOs, making it one of the world’s largest producers of a commonly used PFAS refrigerant.
On the other hand, the company is phasing out fluorosurfactants from its fluoropolymer production — which is great. But when the end product is PFAS, simply removing process aids is not enough.
BASF
Number of PFAS produced
7
Change from last time
-4 PFAS substances
PFAS dependency
Low
BASF is the world’s biggest chemicals company. Its portfolio is filled with all sorts of chemicals, including eight PFAS.
Late last year, however, the company announced that it will phase out products (excluding pesticides) formulated with PFAS, opting instead to provide safer alternatives to customers. The deadline is set for 2028.
Even though PFAS is a small part of its business, the decision by BASF to step away from PFAS is huge. And just like 3M’s decision, it sends a clear signal to the rest of the pack. But for such an important development, the German chemicals giant has been awfully quiet about it. The chemicals industry as a whole would benefit from BASF being more vocal about its decision to phase out PFAS.
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Bayer
The German giant (which acquired the infamous seeds and pesticides company Monsanto in 2018) is by no means dependent on its PFAS production. Since it’s such a small part of its business, Bayer should be incentivised to phase out forever chemicals.
But there has been no real change since last time, and the company does not appear to have any apparent (or successful) PFAS substitution plan in place. In fact, the company is launching new products containing PFAS, such as Convintro.
Bayer has a long history of litigation, especially glyphosate cases inherited from Monsanto. Is management really willing to repeat the same mistake with PFAS?
Chemours
American chemical company Chemours can be called many things. Unfortunately, “progressive” is not one of them. Instead, Chemours stands out as the company most stuck in its old ways, glued to the PFAS wagon and unable (or unwilling) to get off.
Even with a slight decrease in the number of PFAS substances, the company produces and uses the most PFAS substances in the world. Just like it did three years ago. Chemours is heavily dependent on PFAS, with between half and two-thirds of its revenue coming from PFAS production.
Net sales of PFAS have been stable over the last three years, and the company shows no signs of wanting to move away from PFAS production. Instead, increased production has been announced since the company sees a “strong demand” for PFAS products in the coming years. After tripling its production capacity for PFAS refrigerants, the company will launch a new product, which it claims will “revolutionise” data centre cooling. Unlike other companies, Chemours focuses its innovation efforts on developing new PFAS products.
To no surprise, PFAS litigation is a recurring issue for Chemours, having settled seven PFAS lawsuits and paid out $2.4 billion in total damages from PFAS violations in the United States.
Daikin
Japanese chemical company Daikin is a well-known producer of PFAS. Three years ago, the company produced 12 substances. However, since then Daikin has chosen to go undercover with its production in the United States, claiming “Confidential Business Information”.
The five substances produced in Europe do not seem like much. But a sneaky move like that — decreasing transparency in an already opaque market — should not go unnoticed. If anything, it warrants more attention.
It’s not the first time a chemical company has used this tactic. A couple of years ago, DuPont (known from the Hollywood movie Dark Waters) did the same. While it may pay off in the very short term, this strategy has a high risk of backfiring in the long term.
Actively trying to keep something away from the public eye indicates that something is off, that the company is hiding important information. Stakeholders — particularly the investors — will smell this from far away.
As far as PFAS production goes, Daikin is building a new production facility for perfluoroelastomers and has announced plans to more than triple its production capacity by 2027 in response to anticipated growth in demand driven by the expanding semiconductor market.
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Orbia Fluor & Energy Materials
Headquarters
Mexico City, Mexico
Revenue
$7.6 billion
ChemScore 2025 ranking
N/A
Number of PFAS produced
6
Change from last time
N/A
PFAS dependency
High
Previously known as Mexichem, this Mexican company is a global leader in fluoroproducts. As fluor is the basis of all its products, the company is extremely dependent on PFAS.
Just like many of the other companies on this list, Orbia Fluor & Energy Materials is actively expanding its PFAS business. One focus area is cooling gases, in which the company two years ago launched a new product range for vehicle air-conditioning and commercial refrigeration. Since then, it has been actively marketing these products.
Orbia is also expanding its fluorochemical production for batteries and electric vehicles. Late last year, the company completed an expansion of its fluorinated battery electrolyte facility in Wisconsin, roughly tripling the site’s production capacity.
Solstice
Headquarters
New Jersey, United States
Revenue
$4.8 billion
ChemScore 2025 ranking
N/A
Number of PFAS produced
14
Change from last time
N/A
PFAS dependency
High
Solstice didn’t exist the last time we listed the world’s top PFAS producers. That time, it was Honeywell. But when Solstice spun off from Honeywell, it inherited the entire PFAS burden from its parent.
This company is heavily reliant on its PFAS production. At least half of Solstice’s revenue comes from PFAS — particularly in the form of refrigerant gases. These gases (also known as F-gases) break down into vast amounts of the PFAS substance TFA.
The environmental alarms regarding TFA have recently increased in volume, and lawmakers are now looking into how to best regulate these F-gases. For any company involved in their production, this is a disaster soup about to boil over. The financial risk of being dependent on substances that might soon be regulated is not a future-proofed strategy.
Regardless of this, Solstice has aggressive growth plans. Earlier this year, the company completed a major acquisition of Element Solutions, which positions Solstice as an important supplier to the AI supply chain, providing everything from packaging and thermal management capabilities to data centre cooling technology.
Syensqo
Syensqo is new on the list of the world’s top PFAS producers since it simply didn’t exist three years ago. When Syensqo spun off from parent company Solvay in late 2023, it inherited many of Solvay’s nastier substances, including PFAS. Syensqo also inherited some litigation settlements, including an almost $400 million-worth settlement with New Jersey.
Just like fellow newcomer and spin-off company Solstice, this relatively small company is highly dependent on its PFAS production. Particularly fluoropolymers, making up more than one-third of the business. The company has removed the use of fluorosurfactants in the production phase of fluoropolymers — just like Arkema. The same reasoning applies here: Removing these process aids is great, but it’s not enough when the end product is PFAS.
Syensqo prides itself on being innovation-oriented, with a strong focus on science (as understood from the company name) and new solutions. But this does not seem to include an aim to phase out forever chemicals. Instead, the company is building the largest battery-grade PVDF production facility in North America. The manufacturing facility, which is set to be completed next year, will supply PVDF for use as a lithium-ion binder and separator coating in EV batteries.
(3M)
Bonus company! While 3M is not officially on our list, it still deserves a mention.
Ever since the company pioneered PFAS production when the chemicals were first invented back in the 1940s, it has been at the forefront of the PFAS industry. But in late 2022, 3M unexpectedly announced that it would stop producing PFAS, citing “accelerating regulatory trends and changing stakeholder expectations” as two reasons behind the decision. At the end of 2025, the company completed its exit from PFAS manufacturing.
The fact that one of the PFAS pioneers decides to move away from these toxic forever chemicals sends a clear signal to the rest of the industry. PFAS not only pollute the planet and cause harm to local communities and the general population, they also imply severe financial and regulatory risks for the company. More companies should transform this understanding into action and move away from PFAS.
So, why then is 3M still mentioned on our list of the biggest PFAS producers? First of all, the company’s exit is still very recent and shrouded in secrecy. For example, it continues to manufacture +10,000 products that include PFAS.
Second, 3M’s PFAS legacy lingers like a bad smell. The company’s long history of production means it is now heavily burdened by litigation related to PFAS pollution. 3M has had to pay a staggering $14 billion for PFAS violations in the US alone and has several other ongoing lawsuits in Europe, Canada and Australia. In fact, the company is the subject of 4,000 active PFAS-related legal cases.
Moreover, rather than repurposing its main fluoropolymer factory in Germany (Europe’s largest and most advanced), 3M sold it. The new owners will continue to produce PFAS plastics there — even saying they will “ramp up manufacturing operations”.
All in all, 3M remains a major player in the PFAS manufacturing scene, and no list of top producers would be complete without at least mentioning it.
Featured news
3M promised to phase out PFAS by the end of 2025. How has it turned out?
(Dis)honourable mentions
We’ve come to the end of the list. But that doesn’t mean we’re done. We have some (dis)honourable mentions to go through first.
These are companies that would probably make the list if everything were 100% transparent and all information was available. But as we stated at the beginning, this is unfortunately not the case.
Shandong Dongyue (and other Chinese producers)
The Dongyue Group is one of China’s biggest PFAS producers, covering the full production chain from raw materials all the way to finished products. Fluoropolymers and refrigerants constitute most of the revenue, which makes the company extremely dependent on its PFAS production.
Shandong Dongyue is actively expanding its PFAS portfolio. Between 2021 and 2025, the company invested about €300 million in expanding production capacity for PVDF and PTFE. Last year, it invested a further €21 million in increasing capacity for producing high-end PTFE for the semiconductor industry.
Halopolymer
This Russian dark horse describes itself as “one of the world’s largest producers of fluoropolymer products, holding approximately 9% of the global fluoropolymer market”. Quite the claim. The company is also the number one producer of freons (CFCs and HFCs) in Russia.
Halopolymer is an important supplier of material for the Russian industry, including defence, and is almost 100% dependent on its PFAS production.
Gujarat Fluorochemicals
According to Gujarat Fluorochemicals (GFL), the company is the leading fluoropolymer producer in India (it’s also the only fluoropolymer producer in India) and one of the top five globally. As can be understood from its name, the company is completely dependent on fluorochemicals and PFAS.
Like Syensqo and Arkema, the company has phased out fluorosurfactants from its fluoropolymer production.