![]() ![]() Murray: I’ve been really looking forward to this, because you run a chemical company, a chemical company that makes products that have in the past been accused of despoiling the environment, but you are clearly committed to making it a company that helps solve our environmental problems. Mark Newman: Alan, great to be here today. Mark, thank you so much for being here and having this conversation. So without any further ado, here is the conversation with Mark Newman of Chemours. Doa, Ellen, and I’m looking forward to you hearing from Mark. Murray: I’m looking forward to hearing from Dr. Maria Doa, the senior director of chemicals policy at the Environmental Defense Fund, and try to get my questions answered. So later in this episode, I’m going to talk with Dr. But I also want to learn about PFAS in general-their uses, their impact, and how they can be deployed safely. So I’m going in with an open mind even though I’m always on the proverbial ledge. McGirt: I agree, and it’s important to dive right into these really tough subjects. This is the type of purposeful but difficult leadership through transition that made Mark such an interesting Leadership Next guest. We spent a lot of time talking about that, about how it will transition to becoming a clean company without avoiding public charges of greenwashing. And since then, he has personally been very vocal about the company’s commitment to both righting its past environmental wrongs and playing a productive role in dealing with climate change. Mark is actually only the second CEO of Chemours. Murray: Yeah, I did, Ellen, and I think you’ll be impressed with what he had to say. Did you get a chance to talk to him about that? Now I know that Chemours is continuing to invest in PFAS, and I also know that they think they can do so responsibly. And of course, the ingestion of PFAS either directly or through contaminated water has been linked to some pretty serious stuff like cancers or other health problems. Polyfluoroalkyl substances are better known as PFAS-spelled P F A S-and they’re a class of chemicals considered forever chemicals, meaning they don’t break down in the environment. As some of our audience may know, Teflon is considered a polyfluoroalkyl substance, and I just struggled to learn how to pronounce that word. I am really curious about how Chemours goes about producing these chemicals. Teflon, of course, is also the great metaphor of choice for our politicians who never get caught, never get into trouble. McGirt: Yes, I’m interested in learning more about that. ![]() It has in the past sometimes has been thought of as an environmental problem, but the interesting thing about Chemours, that we’ll find out in this episode, is they’ve really shifted to focusing more on environmental and climate solutions. But it’s also used to waterproof clothing, to make car paint nice and shiny, fortify solar panels. ![]() It’s probably best known for producing Teflon, that chemical coating that’s mostly associated with nonstick surfaces on pots and pans. It produces a lot of different chemicals. Murray: Yeah, it’s a fascinating company, Ellen. You will hear me on the B-side of this, however, but I’m confident that you’ve covered a lot of ground. I couldn’t make it to this one, which was really a bummer, because I had a bunch of questions for Mark. It’s with Mark Newman, the CEO of the chemical company Chemours. And I am really interested in today’s interview. Ellen McGirt: You’re my favorite co-host too, Alan. ![]()
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