Compliance Radar
Who was sanctioned, and for what?
Fines, court rulings and incidents from Europe and North America: 718 cases from 32 jurisdictions, each with an official source and checked against that source before publication. Filter by country, area of law and sector. Click a chart to drill down one level.
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Where?
by regionAll jurisdictions
What for?
by action- Fine 10 cases 100 % · €69.4m
Who?
by sectorAll sectors
When?
per quarter, by date of decision| Period | Cases | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2023 | 0 | — |
| Q4 2023 | 0 | — |
| Q1 2024 | 0 | — |
| Q2 2024 | 0 | — |
| Q3 2024 | 0 | — |
| Q4 2024 | 1 | €67,236 |
| Q1 2025 | 1 | €1.36m |
| Q2 2025 | 0 | — |
| Q3 2025 | 1 | €1.73m |
| Q4 2025 | 1 | €24,745 |
| Q1 2026 | 3 | €1.47m |
| Q2 2026 | 1 | €62.5m |
| Q3 2026 | 2 | €2.25m |
10 cases
10 Sep 2026 Algoma Steel Inc.Algoma Steel: 1.2 million CAD fine for gear oil in the St. Marys River €747,710
In June 2022, a gear oil tank overflowed at the steelworks in Sault Ste. Marie; an estimated 1,000 to 1,250 litres of oil entered the St. Marys River, harmful to fish and migratory birds. The company pleaded guilty to two counts and is paying 1.2 million CAD into the Environmental Damages Fund; its name is listed in the Environmental Offenders Registry.
Even small tank overflows near watercourses lead to fines in the millions – overfill protection and containment systems are mandatory.
Filling and monitoring oil tanks
- Authority / court
- Ontario Court of Justice, Sault Ste. Marie (Ermittlungen: Environment and Climate Change Canada)
- Area of law
- Environment and sustainability · Waste and hazardous substances
- Legal basis
- Fisheries Act, Subsection 36(3); Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994, Subsection 5.1(1)
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Steel and metals
- Mitigating circumstances
- Guilty plea.
- Published
- 11 Sep 2026
Original amount 1,200,000 CAD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 10 Sep 2026.
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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28 Aug 2026 MSC Shipmanagement Limited; Hong Kong Spirit Shipping and Trading LimitedMSC Shipmanagement: 1.75 million USD fine for secretly discharging oily bilge water €1.5m
On board the MSC Samira III, senior engineering officers had oily bilge water pumped overboard via the sewage tank, bypassing the oily water separator, in 2024/2025, manipulated the oil content monitoring and falsified the oil record book, which was presented to the Coast Guard in Philadelphia. 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.
Shipping companies must actively monitor practice on board and the oil record book, because instructions given by individual officers are attributed to the company under criminal law.
MARPOL obligations on board, oil record book and reporting channels for crews
- 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
- Liability of senior managers
- Second Engineer Mikhail Tsurikov also pleaded guilty; sentencing scheduled for 10 September 2026.
- Published
- 28 Aug 2026
Original amount 1,750,000 USD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 28 Aug 2026.
- International Shipping Companies Sentenced to Pay $1.75 Million Fine for Concealing Discharges of Oily Waste into Ocean Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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15 May 2026 ArcelorMittal Exploitation Minière Canada s.e.n.c.ArcelorMittal mining subsidiary in Québec: 100 million CAD fine for acidic mine effluent €62.5m
From May 2014 to May 2022, acidic effluent, effluent with elevated zinc, nickel or suspended solids content, and effluent that was acutely lethal to fish entered fish-bearing waters from the Mont-Wright mining complex and the Fire Lake mine in the Fermont region. The company pleaded guilty to 100 counts; the fine of 100 million CAD goes almost entirely to the Environmental Damages Fund, and an action plan on wastewater management must also be submitted by mid-February 2027.
Long-standing exceedances of limit values add up to hundreds of individual offences; effluent monitoring must lead to immediate corrective action.
- Authority / court
- Court of Québec (Ermittlungen: Environment and Climate Change Canada)
- Area of law
- Environment and sustainability · Waste and hazardous substances
- Legal basis
- Fisheries Act, Subsection 36(3)
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Steel and metals
- Published
- 15 May 2026
Original amount 100,000,000 CAD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 15 May 2026.
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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24 Mar 2026 3R Technology UK Ltd3R Technology UK: penalty for exporting contaminated plastic waste despite prohibition €164,216
From 2022 to 2025, the company exported containers of supposedly clean plastic that was in fact contaminated with electronic waste such as cables and circuit boards; in some cases, the waste was hidden at the back of the container, and further containers were shipped despite prohibition notices from August 2024. The company and its director pleaded guilty to 16 counts: a fine of 80,000 GBP, 45,000 GBP in costs and a 2,000 GBP surcharge for the company; 120 hours of community service, 15,000 GBP in costs and a 114 GBP surcharge for the director.
Incorrectly declared waste exports are detected during port inspections; those who ignore regulatory prohibitions also risk the personal conviction of management.
Correct classification and declaration of waste for export
- Authority / court
- Preston Magistrates' Court (Anklage: Environment Agency)
- Area of law
- Environment and sustainability · Waste and hazardous substances
- Legal basis
- Vorschriften zur grenzüberschreitenden Abfallverbringung (Notifizierung und Zustimmung); Verstoß gegen Untersagungsverfügungen
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Other
- Culpability
- intentional
- Repeat case
- yes
- Mitigating circumstances
- Guilty plea.
- Liability of senior managers
- Director Yulin Wang personally sentenced to 120 hours of community service, 15,000 GBP in costs and a 114 GBP surcharge.
- Published
- 2 Apr 2026
Original amount 142,114 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 24 Mar 2026.
- Lancashire company and director fined for illegal exports Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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13 Jan 2026 Estee Lauder Cosmetics Ltd.Estee Lauder Cosmetics: 750,000 CAD fine for unreported PFAS in eyeliners €463,765
A routine inspection in 2023 found that the company was selling eyeliners containing the PFAS substance perfluorononyl dimethicone without submitting the required notification of a ‘significant new activity’; a subsequent compliance order was not complied with. The court imposed 750,000 CAD; the company must inform its shareholders and is listed in the Environmental Offenders Registry.
Product development and regulatory affairs must check new substances for notification requirements before market launch; regulatory orders must be implemented within the deadline.
Chemical notification and approval obligations for product launches
- Authority / court
- Ontario Court of Justice (Ermittlungen: Environment and Climate Change Canada)
- Area of law
- Environment and sustainability · Waste and hazardous substances
- Legal basis
- Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (Significant New Activity, Compliance Order)
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Chemicals and pharmaceuticals
- Published
- 2 Feb 2026
Original amount 750,000 CAD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 13 Jan 2026.
- Estee Lauder Cosmetics Ltd. fined $750,000 for violating the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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7 Jan 2026 Superior General Partner Inc.Superior General Partner: 1.35 million CAD fine for sodium chlorite in river and late reporting €845,987
In 2019, as a result of an equipment defect, sodium chlorite entered the Rivière du Lièvre twelve times from the ERCO Mondial chemical plant in Gatineau; in the last incident, the authorities were only informed after five days. The company was fined 1.35 million CAD, and the then technical and environmental director 15,000 CAD.
Reporting obligations for releases of substances apply immediately; those who wait for days incur additional liability – including personally as the person responsible.
Immediate reporting of environmental incidents to the authorities
- Authority / court
- Court of Québec (Ermittlungen: Environment and Climate Change Canada)
- Area of law
- Environment and sustainability · Waste and hazardous substances
- Legal basis
- Fisheries Act (Einbringen schädlicher Stoffe; unterlassene sofortige Meldung)
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Chemicals and pharmaceuticals
- Liability of senior managers
- Jean-François Roux, the plant's then technical and environmental director, was personally fined 15,000 CAD.
- Published
- 8 Jan 2026
Original amount 1,365,000 CAD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 7 Jan 2026.
- Superior General Partner Inc. and one individual fined a total of $1,365,000 for violating the Fisheries Act Enforcement database of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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17 Dec 2025 Beausite Métal inc.Beausite Métal: 40,000 CAD because PCB equipment was not disposed of despite an order €24,745
The metal recycler in Val-des-Sources had received an environmental protection compliance order to dispose of and destroy PCB-contaminated equipment. At a follow-up inspection in May 2024, the equipment was still on the site; the company pleaded guilty under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA 1999) and was fined 40,000 CAD.
Regulatory orders need an owner and a date in the calendar – non-compliance is a separate offence.
- Authority / court
- Court of Québec (Anklage: Environment and Climate Change Canada)
- Area of law
- Environment and sustainability · Waste and hazardous substances
- Legal basis
- Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Steel and metals
- Published
- 18 Dec 2025
Original amount 40,000 CAD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 17 Dec 2025.
- Beausite Métal inc. fined $40,000 for failing to comply with an environmental protection compliance order Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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27 Aug 2025 V.Ships Norway A.S.V.Ships Norway: 2 million USD fine for oil pollution and falsified oil record books €1.73m
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.
When a crew member reports misconduct to management, the company must intervene immediately; otherwise it is liable for the continued pollution.
Handling oil residues on board and honest documentation
- 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.
- Shipping Company Fined $2M for Maritime Pollution Offense Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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13 Jan 2025 Rio Tinto Fer et Titane inc.Rio Tinto Fer et Titane: 2 million CAD fine for nickel-bearing and acidic mine effluent €1.36m
At the Lac Tio mine near Havre-Saint-Pierre, there were nickel exceedances in 2023 after severed power cables disabled the effluent treatment, untreated acidic discharges in the summer, and a failure to take samples after an unauthorised discharge. The company pleaded guilty to eight counts and is paying 2 million CAD into the Environmental Damages Fund.
Failures of effluent treatment must be covered by emergency plans and documented through the required sampling.
Sampling and monitoring obligations after malfunctions
- Authority / court
- Court of Québec (Ermittlungen: Environment and Climate Change Canada)
- Area of law
- Environment and sustainability · Waste and hazardous substances
- Legal basis
- Fisheries Act, Subsection 36(3); Metal and Diamond Mining Effluent Regulations
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Steel and metals
- Mitigating circumstances
- Guilty plea.
- Published
- 14 Jan 2025
Original amount 2,000,000 CAD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 13 Jan 2025.
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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18 Nov 2024 ArcelorMittal Exploitation Minière Canada s.e.n.c.ArcelorMittal mining subsidiary: 100,000 CAD fine for obstructing environmental inspectors €67,236
During inspections of the Mont-Wright mining complex in June 2022, environmental inspectors requested documents on compliance with effluent regulations; the company refused to hand over some of them until September 2022. The court imposed 100,000 CAD for obstructing the inspection and ordered the documents to be produced (separate proceedings alongside the later fine of 100 million CAD).
Refusing to hand over requested documents is itself an offence – employees must know how to deal with information requests from inspectors.
Cooperation and production of documents during regulatory inspections
- Authority / court
- Court of Québec (Ermittlungen: Environment and Climate Change Canada)
- Area of law
- Environment and sustainability · Waste and hazardous substances
- Legal basis
- Fisheries Act, Section 62 (Behinderung von Kontrollbeamten); Metal and Diamond Mining Effluent Regulations
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Steel and metals
- Culpability
- intentional
- Published
- 19 Nov 2024
Original amount 100,000 CAD, converted at the ECB reference rate of 18 Nov 2024.
- ArcelorMittal Exploitation Minière Canada s.e.n.c. ordered to pay $100,000 for obstructing enforcement officers Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link