Who was sanctioned, and for what?

On board the MSC Samira III, oily bilge water was pumped overboard via the sewage tank, bypassing the oily water separator, in 2024/2025; the oil content monitoring was manipulated and the oil record book, which was presented to the Coast Guard in Philadelphia, was falsified. The operator and the owner each pleaded guilty to two counts under the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) and are paying a combined 1.75 million USD; in addition, there are four years of probation.

Authority / court

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (Anklage: DOJ Environment and Natural Resources Division)

Area of law

Environment and sustainability · Waste and hazardous substances

Legal basis

Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS), 33 U.S.C. § 1908

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Transport, logistics and shipping

Employees

10,000 or more

Culpability

intentional

Published

28 Aug 2026

Original amount 1,750,000 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 28 Aug 2026.

Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Version 3 · Direct link

The EPA, the US Department of Justice and West Virginia's environmental agency reached a settlement (consent decree) with Chemours over PFAS discharges into the Cape Fear, Delaware and Ohio rivers, some made without and some in breach of discharge permits, together with TSCA and RCRA violations at four plants. Chemours will pay a civil penalty of 22,500,000 USD in three annual instalments of 7,500,000 USD and carry out remedial measures, including drinking water supply, PFAS controls and a USD 90m mitigation programme, which the EPA puts at over USD 450m in total. The settlement was lodged with the court on 24 June 2026 and is subject to public comment and court approval. The authority allegedly made the findings set out here; this account is not based on a final judgment. The decision is not final.

Authority / court

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) / U.S. Department of Justice mit West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (U.S. District Court, Southern District of West Virginia)

Area of law

Environment and sustainability · Emissions and permits

Legal basis

Clean Water Act (NPDES); Resource Conservation and Recovery Act; Toxic Substances Control Act; West Virginia Water Pollution Control Act

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

not yet final

Sector

Chemicals and pharmaceuticals

Mitigating circumstances

The civil penalty was set on the basis of the company's ability to pay.

Published

24 Jun 2026

Original amount 22,500,000 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 24 Jun 2026.

Checked against the official source on 3 Oct 2026 · Direct link

The EPA (Region 6) issued a Consent Agreement and Final Order against Denka Performance Elastomer over RCRA violations at its neoprene plant in LaPlace (Louisiana): missing waste determinations, breaches of land disposal restrictions and treatment and storage of hazardous waste without a permit. Denka will pay 996,703.35 USD and must clean out a brine pit and its ancillary equipment; if the currently idle plant resumes operations, further requirements apply, including on waste inventory, containers, training and protective equipment. The authority allegedly made the findings set out here; this account is not based on a final judgment.

Authority / court

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Region 6

Area of law

Environment and sustainability · Waste and hazardous substances

Legal basis

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), Docket RCRA-06-2025-0910

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Chemicals and pharmaceuticals

Repeat case

yes

Published

2 Jul 2026

Original amount 996,703.35 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 23 Jun 2026.

Checked against the official source on 3 Oct 2026 · Direct link

Around 10,000 heavy-duty Volvo diesel engines from model years 2010 to 2016 used auxiliary emission control devices (AECDs) that were not disclosed during certification and emitted more NOx than permitted. The settlement with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) comprises 17.5 million USD in penalties and costs, 71 million USD for mitigation measures and 108 million USD for emission reduction projects in California.

Authority / court

California Air Resources Board (CARB)

Area of law

Environment and sustainability · Emissions and permits

Legal basis

Kalifornische Emissions- und Zertifizierungsvorschriften für schwere Nutzfahrzeugmotoren

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Automotive

Employees

10,000 or more

Mitigating circumstances

Cooperation during the investigation; recall and extended warranty for engines from model years 2014 to 2016.

Published

18 May 2026

Original amount 196,500,000 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 18 May 2026.

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

In a second consent decree, Lowe's Home Centers undertakes to pay a civil penalty of allegedly 12,500,000 USD and to introduce a company-wide programme so that the installation firms it hires work lead-safely in homes built before 1978. The EPA had found breaches of the Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule on more than 250 renovation jobs in 23 states, mostly from 2019 to 2021, such as missing certified renovators, missing customer information and inadequate dust containment, as well as breaches of a 2014 settlement. The settlement was lodged with the court on 25 November 2025. The authority allegedly made the findings set out here; this account is not based on a final judgment. The decision is not final.

Authority / court

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) / U.S. Department of Justice (U.S. District Court, Central District of California)

Area of law

Environment and sustainability · Waste and hazardous substances

Legal basis

Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule; Consent Decree von 2014

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Retail and e-commerce

Employees

10,000 or more

Repeat case

yes

Published

25 Nov 2025

Original amount 12,500,000 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 25 Nov 2025.

Checked against the official source on 4 Oct 2026 · Direct link

The Attorney General's office accused the US arm of the meat group JBS of publicly advertising a "net zero by 2040" goal without a viable plan to achieve it. After a first lawsuit had been dismissed without prejudice in January 2025, the parties concluded an Assurance of Discontinuance: JBS USA pays 1.1 million USD to a climate-smart agriculture programme (expressly not a fine), changes its environmental marketing and reports annually for three years. The authority allegedly made the findings set out here; this account is not based on a final judgment.

Authority / court

Office of the New York State Attorney General

Area of law

Environment and sustainability · Misleading environmental and sustainability claims

Legal basis

New York General Business Law §§ 349, 350; Executive Law § 63(12), § 63(15)

Action

Other

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Food and agriculture

Published

3 Nov 2025

Checked against the official source on 3 Oct 2026 · Direct link

On board the tanker M/T Swift Winchester, a hose connected the incinerator's waste oil tank to the sewage tank from February to August 2022, so that oily waste bypassed the pollution prevention equipment and went into the sea; in August 2022, an oily water separator filter was also hosed down with degreaser on deck and the oily mixture ran overboard. The vessel called at Baton Rouge and Port Arthur with a knowingly falsified oil record book. The ship management company pleaded guilty and is paying a fine of 2 million USD.

Authority / court

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas (Anklage: DOJ Environment and Natural Resources Division)

Area of law

Environment and sustainability · Waste and hazardous substances

Legal basis

Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS)

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Transport, logistics and shipping

Culpability

intentional

Published

27 Aug 2025

Original amount 2,000,000 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 27 Aug 2025.

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

In the view of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the freight railway operated locomotives without a certificate of conformity, did not comply with the conditions of a testing exemption for several locomotives and operated locomotives in breach of the applicable emission standards. Under the settlement (Consent Agreement and Final Order), the company is paying a civil penalty of 299,000 USD.

Authority / court

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Region 3

Area of law

Environment and sustainability · Emissions and permits

Legal basis

Clean Air Act §§ 203(a), 213(d) (42 U.S.C. §§ 7522(a), 7547(d)); 40 C.F.R. § 1068.101

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Transport, logistics and shipping

Employees

10,000 or more

Original amount 299,000 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 14 May 2025.

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

Between 2010 and 2019, the Toyota subsidiary submitted false certification applications, altered emissions data and fabricated test results; more than 105,000 non-compliant diesel engines were imported into the USA. The court imposed a fine of 521.76 million USD and forfeiture of 1.087 billion USD, plus five years of probation with an import ban on Hino diesel engines.

Authority / court

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan (Ermittlungen: EPA Criminal Investigation Division, FBI)

Area of law

Environment and sustainability · Emissions and permits

Legal basis

Clean Air Act; Verschwörung zum Betrug der Vereinigten Staaten und Schmuggel (Schuldbekenntnis)

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Automotive

Employees

10,000 or more

Culpability

intentional

Published

19 Mar 2025

Original amount 1,608,760,000 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 19 Mar 2025.

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

Under a consent decree with the EPA, the US Department of Justice and the New Mexico Environment Department, HF Sinclair Navajo Refining will allegedly pay a total of 35,000,000 USD for its refinery in Artesia (New Mexico): a civil penalty of 33,916,450 USD for excess emissions of, among others, benzene, volatile organic compounds, nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide, and 1,083,550 USD for breaches of a 2002 settlement; the civil penalty is split between the federal government and New Mexico. In addition, measures estimated at USD 137m are required, including real-time air monitors at the fenceline and in the town with publicly available results, and a flare gas recovery system. The authority allegedly made the findings set out here; this account is not based on a final judgment. The decision is not final.

Authority / court

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) / U.S. Department of Justice mit New Mexico Environment Department (U.S. District Court, District of New Mexico)

Area of law

Environment and sustainability · Emissions and permits

Legal basis

Clean Air Act (NESHAP für Erdölraffinerien und Benzolabfälle, NSPS, Title-V-Genehmigung); New Mexico Air Quality Control Act; Consent Decree von 2002

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Energy and utilities

Repeat case

yes

Published

17 Jan 2025

Original amount 35,000,000 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 17 Jan 2025.

Checked against the official source on 4 Oct 2026 · Direct link

Under a court settlement (Stipulation and Order of Settlement) with the US Department of Justice and the EPA, Stericycle will pay a civil penalty of 9,500,000 USD for RCRA violations in its hazardous waste transport, storage and disposal business, which it operated until April 2020. The company lost track of shipments, delivered waste without the required manifests or to facilities not chosen by the customer, stored it too long at transfer facilities and failed to submit thousands of manifests to the EPA's e-Manifest system on time. According to the EPA, it is the first judicial action to enforce the e-Manifest requirements. The authority allegedly made the findings set out here; this account is not based on a final judgment.

Authority / court

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) / U.S. Department of Justice (U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York)

Area of law

Environment and sustainability · Waste and hazardous substances

Legal basis

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), 42 U.S.C. § 6901 ff., e-Manifest-Vorschriften

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Other

Published

17 Jan 2025

Original amount 9,500,000 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 17 Jan 2025.

Checked against the official source on 3 Oct 2026 · Direct link

From 2010 to 2019, the Toyota subsidiary altered test data, carried out tests improperly or fabricated them entirely for more than 50 engine families (around 105,000 on-road and 5,700 off-road diesel engines). The resolution with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice comprises a civil penalty of 525 million USD and a criminal fine of 521.76 million USD (together 1.047 billion USD), five years of probation and an import ban on diesel engines; including the recall and mitigation measures, the overall resolution totals more than 1.6 billion USD.

Authority / court

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency / U.S. Department of Justice

Area of law

Environment and sustainability · Emissions and permits

Legal basis

Clean Air Act

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Automotive

Culpability

intentional

Original amount 1,046,760,000 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 15 Jan 2025.

Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link

CARB reached a settlement of 4,185,820 USD with FCA US because model year 2014 to 2016 Ram ProMaster vehicles with a 3.0-litre diesel engine had an unapproved device that controlled emissions differently in real-world driving than in certification testing; according to CARB, almost 55 tonnes of excess nitrogen oxides were released. The civil penalty is 2,092,910 USD. An environmental project of the same amount, to slow cargo vessels, stays outside the amount field. The vehicles will be recalled. CARB had already taken action against FCA over similar allegations in 2019 and 2022. The authority allegedly made the findings set out here; this account is not based on a final judgment. The amount field records only the civil monetary penalty.

Authority / court

California Air Resources Board (CARB)

Area of law

Environment and sustainability · Emissions and permits

Legal basis

Luftqualitäts- und Fahrzeugemissionsvorschriften des California Air Resources Board

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Automotive

Repeat case

yes

Published

23 Dec 2024

Original amount 2,092,910 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 23 Dec 2024.

Checked against the official source on 3 Oct 2026 · Direct link

Under a consent decree, crane maker Manitowoc and two subsidiaries will pay a civil penalty of 42,600,000 USD because, between 2014 and 2018, they allegedly sold cranes with at least 1,032 diesel engines that were covered neither by a valid EPA certificate of conformity nor by the transition programme for equipment manufacturers; reporting, bonding and labelling requirements were also breached. In addition, the companies will fund the repowering of a locomotive in the Sparrows Point area (Baltimore) with an engine meeting current emission standards. According to the EPA, the court approved the settlement in March 2025.

Authority / court

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) / U.S. Department of Justice (U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin)

Area of law

Environment and sustainability · Emissions and permits

Legal basis

Clean Air Act, Sections 203(a) und 213(d) (Mobile-Source-Vorschriften für Offroad-Dieselmotoren)

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Manufacturing and mechanical engineering

Published

19 Dec 2024

Original amount 42,600,000 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 19 Dec 2024.

Checked against the official source on 3 Oct 2026 · Direct link

From 2020 to 2022, Invesco told clients that 70 to 94 per cent of the parent company's assets under management were ‘ESG integrated’, but counted passive ETFs that did not take ESG into account and had no written definition of ESG integration. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) imposed 17.5 million USD, a censure and a cease-and-desist order.

Authority / court

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

Area of law

Environment and sustainability · Misleading environmental and sustainability claims

Legal basis

Investment Advisers Act of 1940

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Financial services and insurance

Culpability

intentional

Published

8 Nov 2024

Original amount 17,500,000 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 8 Nov 2024.

Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Version 2 · Direct link

Since 2015, the Texas-based manufacturer has sold more than 81,000 tuners that deactivate emission controls, as well as 8,400 exhaust pipes with fewer or weaker catalytic converters. The proposed settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice (subject to court approval) provides for a civil penalty of 2,914,000 USD in four instalments, as well as a ban on defeat devices, removal of the ‘delete’ functions, information for dealers and customers, buy-back and destruction of such devices held by employees, and Clean Air Act training for the workforce.

Authority / court

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency / U.S. Department of Justice (U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas)

Area of law

Environment and sustainability · Emissions and permits

Legal basis

Clean Air Act § 203(a)(3)(B), 42 U.S.C. § 7522(a)(3)(B)

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Automotive

Mitigating circumstances

Amount of the penalty based on demonstrated limited ability to pay; payment in instalments.

Original amount 2,914,000 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 16 Sep 2024.

Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Version 4 · Company name anonymised since 16 Sep 2026 · Direct link

According to the EPA, a US manufacturer of vehicle tuning parts manufactured, sold or installed large numbers of parts for diesel pickups over several years that could remove or disable emission control systems; according to the EPA, the additional emissions equalled those of several million additional vehicles. In the criminal proceedings, the company received a multi-million-dollar fine and a term of probation; a civil settlement providing for a multi-million-dollar civil penalty payable in instalments was subject to court approval.

Authority / court

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency / U.S. Department of Justice

Area of law

Environment and sustainability · Emissions and permits

Legal basis

Clean Air Act § 203(a)(3)

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Automotive

Culpability

intentional

Mitigating circumstances

Payment in instalments because of demonstrated limited ability to pay.

Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Version 7 · Company name anonymised since 10 Sep 2026 · Direct link

The steelworks on Lake Michigan allegedly emitted excessive particulate matter and hazardous air pollutants when charging the basic oxygen furnaces and during overflows of molten material. Under the settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the company is paying 248,396 USD and must charge more slowly, improve extraction and monitoring, and introduce video recording and reporting to the EPA.

Authority / court

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Area of law

Environment and sustainability · Emissions and permits

Legal basis

Clean Air Act

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Steel and metals

Published

27 Aug 2024

Original amount 248,396 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 27 Aug 2024.

Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Version 4 · Company name anonymised since 27 Aug 2026 · Direct link

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) reached a settlement of 16,196,120 USD with a Japanese engine manufacturer. Almost 20,000 engines, mainly for transport refrigeration units, were affected: an incompletely reported auxiliary emission control device (AECD), the use of test procedures not applicable to the engine type, and the production of large spark-ignition engines not covered by the CARB certification. According to CARB, the company made modifications to address the incomplete reporting so that it will meet certification requirements in future.

Authority / court

California Air Resources Board (CARB)

Area of law

Environment and sustainability · Emissions and permits

Legal basis

CARB Off-Road Compression-Ignition Engines and Equipment Regulation

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

final

Sector

Manufacturing and mechanical engineering

Published

4 Mar 2024

Original amount 16,196,120 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 4 Mar 2024.

Checked against the official source on 8 Oct 2026 · Company name anonymised since 4 Mar 2026 · Direct link

The engine manufacturer programmed the engine software so that emission controls were reduced or switched off during normal driving (around 630,000 heavy-duty pickups of one vehicle maker from model years 2013–2019) and failed to disclose auxiliary emission control devices in a further approximately 330,000 vehicles. Civil penalty of 1.675 billion USD – the highest ever under the Clean Air Act – plus recall and mitigation measures, totalling around 2 billion USD.

Authority / court

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency / U.S. Department of Justice (U.S. District Court, District of Columbia)

Area of law

Environment and sustainability · Emissions and permits

Legal basis

Clean Air Act

Action

Fine

Status of proceedings

unknown

Sector

Automotive

Employees

10,000 or more

Original amount 1,675,000,000 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 10 Jan 2024.

Checked against the official source on 28 Sep 2026 · Version 4 · Company name anonymised since 10 Jan 2026 · Direct link