ORION ENGINEERED CARBONS SA

Orion Engineered Carbons SA is a global producer of carbon black, a fine powder derived from petroleum feedstock and used primarily as a reinforcing agent in tires and rubber products. Its manufacturing process is a documented source of significant air and water pollution.

In December 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Justice announced a major Clean Air Act settlement with the company’s U.S. subsidiary, Orion Engineered Carbons, LLC. The settlement resolved allegations of excessive emissions of volatile organic compounds, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter from its plants in Texas and Louisiana. The company agreed to install pollution control technology estimated to cost over $100 million. It also paid an $800,000 civil penalty and committed $550,000 to environmental mitigation projects. This enforcement action, documented by ViolationTracker, is part of a pattern that includes four other environmental violation records with penalties totaling over $316,000.

While the company’s 2023 Sustainability Report highlights investments like a water treatment system at one facility, the scale of its historical regulatory penalties and the inherent pollution from its core manufacturing process place it firmly within the category of companies causing documented environmental damage.