This page is part of our public exclusion list — a transparency tool that shows which companies we screen out and why. It is not investment advice, and it is not an accusation. But it is subject to change as our understanding of the facts evolves.
FMC Corporation is a global agricultural sciences company that manufactures and markets pesticides, insecticides, and herbicides. A significant portion of its product portfolio includes chemicals with documented high toxicity and environmental persistence, such as chlorpyrifos.
The company has a long history of environmental violations related to hazardous waste. In a 1998 settlement with the EPA, FMC was cited for serious mismanagement of ignitable and reactive phosphorus wastes stored in unlined ponds at its facility. These wastes generated phosphine and hydrogen cyanide, highly toxic gases posing serious health and environmental risks. More recently, in a 2018 legal proceeding, FMC did not dispute that any prospective release of hazardous wastes from its site would violate environmental performance standards. The company has also been implicated in cases concerning liability for environmental violations at its facilities, including litigation involving the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes.
While FMC now operates in the agricultural sector, its historical and ongoing handling of toxic chemicals continues to present risks of soil contamination, water pollution, and ecological damage.
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A digest of changes to our exclusion list — new additions, removals, and the evidence behind them. We review the list continuously as new evidence surfaces.
Companies appear on our exclusion list based on our investment judgment — not because they've done anything illegal. This is a difference of values and opinion, not an accusation of wrongdoing. Exclusion does not constitute a recommendation against investing in any company, and absence from the list does not constitute a recommendation to invest.
This information is provided for educational and transparency purposes only and should not be relied upon as investment advice. Data is drawn from independent watchdogs, NGOs, government registries, and Ethical Capital's ongoing research — see Research Sources for the full list.
Ethical Capital LLC is a state-registered investment adviser in Utah (CRD #316032). Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training.