Three environmental groups have served formal legal notice on Groupe SEB, the French owner of Tefal, demanding that it commit to phasing out PFAS, the so-called forever chemicals, from its non-stick cookware. ClientEarth, Générations Futures and Notre Affaire à Tous say they could take the company to court if it does not publicly commit to moving away from PFAS within three months.
The NGOs argue that Groupe SEB’s approach is outdated and inadequate and falls short of France’s corporate duty of vigilance law. Their complaint focuses on the company’s latest vigilance plan, a document required under that law, which describes PTFE, the PFAS used in some Tefal pans and better known by the trade name Teflon, as safe. The groups say this ignores the risks linked to PTFE and leaves out measures to reduce them. Groupe SEB told Euronews it would review the allegations and respond as the law requires, adding that it complies strictly with French and European rules.
PTFE itself has not been linked to cancer, unlike PFOS and PFOA. Hans Peter Arp, a professor of environmental chemistry in Norway, said PTFE is non-toxic but that making and disposing of it can release toxic PFAS, and that burning PTFE products may release hazardous chemicals. ClientEarth lawyer Hélène Duguy said the whole value chain must be considered. She noted that Groupe SEB already sells cast iron pans, a PFAS-free option, which she sees as proof that a transition can be planned. “We’re not asking SEB to do this tomorrow,” she said.
The case comes as the EU debates how far to restrict PFAS. Brussels has pledged to ban them in everyday consumer products while allowing exemptions in critical sectors such as defence and healthcare. The European Commission’s proposal is expected in early 2027, after a final report from the European Chemicals Agency due in December. In March, the agency called for a broad ban with exceptions where no alternative exists. Simon Terwagne, a lobbyist at Forward Global who represents chemical industry clients, told AFP that cutting exposure made sense but should be measured and proportionate.
France has already gone further than the EU. Since the start of 2026, it has banned the sale, production and import of products containing PFAS where an alternative exists, although an early draft that would have covered non-stick saucepans was dropped after intense lobbying by Tefal. In July 2025, three French groups also sued Tefal’s parent company over advertising that called its coatings safe. The Forever Pollution Project, a cross-border investigation published in 2023, estimated that there are about 23,000 PFAS-contaminated sites across Europe.
