Environmental groups demand Groupe SEB phase out PFAS from Tefal cookware
Campaigners want the French giant to plan a phase-out of PFAS in its non-stick cookware amid EU restrictions and safer alternatives.
Environmental groups in Europe have sent a formal legal warning to Groupe SEB, the French owner of the Tefal brand, demanding an urgent plan to phase out PFAS—so-called "forever chemicals"—from its non-stick frying pans and cookware. The move intensifies pressure on a company whose products are widely used in North Macedonia.
Advocates say the concern is not only the PTFE (commonly called Teflon) coating on finished pans, but the lifecycle impacts linked to PFAS production and disposal. While PTFE itself in household use is not described as directly toxic or carcinogenic in the same vein as some banned compounds, activists point to pollution released during manufacturing and when coated items are incinerated or dumped.
"You may not be contaminating your own home directly when you cook, but you are contributing to pollution where these items are made or where they ultimately end up as waste," experts warn.
EU regulation and available alternatives
The dispute arrives as Brussels prepares an EU-wide restriction on PFAS. The European Chemicals Agency has flagged the group of substances as an increasing public-health and environmental concern, and industry lobbying is reported to be seeking carve-outs for particular uses.
Manufacturers and campaigners point out that safe alternatives for everyday cooking already exist: cast-iron cookware, stainless-steel pots and pans, and ceramic-coated cookware that contain no PFAS.
"We are not asking SEB to do it tomorrow, but to plan this transition so employees have a safety net and the company can adapt," said Elen Digilj, an environmental lawyer at ClientEarth, urging a managed phase-out. France, at the beginning of 2026, banned the sale, manufacture and import of products that contain certain "forever chemicals" when alternatives are available.
Under public pressure and pending European rules, producers of non-stick cookware are expected to have to change manufacturing methods and materials in the near future.
Photo: Ilustracija (AI)
