Indians protest over ‘forever chemicals’ after relocation of scandal-hit Italian factory | Pfas
Protests against the production of cancer-linked Pfas chemicals have spread across India after an investigation revealed that an Italian factory closed due to an environmental scandal had been bought and partially rebuilt by an Indian company.
At the end of last year the Guardian It has been revealed that the former Miteni factory in Vicenza has been acquired by the Indian company Laxmi Organic Industries. The factory produced Pfas and was closed in 2018 after being linked to one of Italy’s worst pollution scandals.
In June 2025, former Miteni managers were convicted for pollution linked to the facility, in a first-instance court decision seen as a landmark for environmental justice in Europe.
The factory left behind contamination of one of Europe’s largest groundwater resources, affecting more than 350,000 people in the provinces of Vicenza, Verona and Padua through drinking water. Miteni’s employees were the worst affected, with a former employee showing one of the highest concentrations of Pfas ever recorded in human blood.
High levels of Pfa in the blood are associated with an increased risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, liver and kidney damage, reproductive disorders, and more.
The factory’s equipment was dismantled, transported and reassembled at Lote Parshuram in south Mumbai. Its goal remains the same: to produce Pfas, which are often referred to as “forever chemicals” because of their persistence in the environment.
The investigation revealed that Laxmi had included in its portfolio some of the same products once produced by Miteni and maintained commercial relationships with customers previously supplied from the Italian company. Laxmi denied the pollution allegations.
Laxmi’s plant in Lote Parshuram has been fully operational since the beginning of 2025 and produces chemicals to be used in pesticides, pharmaceuticals, paints, cosmetics and other products.
Following the publication of the Guardian’s investigation, protests and political debate spread across India. The first protest took place in front of the door of the Lote factory on January 8, and was followed live by many television channels.
On February 2, the issue reached the Indian parliament. Pramod Tiwari, an MP in the upper house Rajya Sabha, emphasized that India still does not have a special regulation regarding PFAS and called for a federal investigation into the authorization process.
“This discussion on pollution has raised major concerns over the transfer of pollution-related industrial equipment from Europe to India and the lack of Pfas regulations in the country,” Tiwari said.
A few days later, Environment Minister Kirti Vardhan Singh confirmed in a written statement that there was no specific environmental regulation banning the production of Pfas in India.
Many important questions about the move remain unanswered. Documents he saw protector It shows that as of March 2018, months before the closure of the plant in Italy, plans for the Indian plant were ready and work had begun on the environmental impact assessment report and construction permit applications.
These documents raise questions about how long plans to move operations from Europe to India were in progress before the closure of the facility in Italy.
In early March, a video call for the first time brought together Indian activists, representatives of contaminated sites in Europe, scientists and members of the European parliament. The meeting took place during a series of events organized by European Parliament member Cristina Guarda and the European Environment Bureau as part of discussions on the proposed European Pfas ban.
On March 5, activists gathered outside the European Commission’s headquarters in Brussels, resurrecting the story in India.
On April 3, Laxmi held a press conference denying any allegations of pollution and saying it operated in full compliance with Indian regulations. The company did not respond to multiple requests for comment for this article.
By April, thousands of people had again taken to the streets in Lote to protest and call for regulation of Pfas production. The demonstrations have brought together environmental activists, local residents and political representatives, and the national debate is expected to grow further.
Varrun Sukhraj, writer, filmmaker and founder of new activist group The Next Indians, said: “For years we have been told this is the price of development. But no community should be forced to choose between jobs and health. What was denied in Europe cannot simply be moved elsewhere and repackaged as progress.”
Additional reporting: Anna Violato
This research was supported by Journalismfund Europe and IJ4EU.
