Unilever fined for violating Clean Water Act

Unilever’s US business announced it has entered into an agreement with the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut and the Environmental Protection Agency related to a single incident on December 5, 2008 at its former Clinton, CT, manufacturing facility. The incident involved two non-managerial wastewater operators who bypassed portions of the facility’s wastewater treatment system.

Although Unilever voluntarily reported the bypass, the company did not notify the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection within two hours of becoming aware of the bypass, as required by the facility’s discharge permit. Under the terms of the agreement, Unilever has agreed to plead guilty to two counts of violating the US Clean Water Act and will pay a $1 million fine. Unilever closed its Clinton, CT, manufacturing facility in 2012 when it shifted production of personal care products to other, more efficient company facilities in the US.

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