Solvay receives compensation of €91,632 million after decisions by the International Chamber of Commerce's arbitration tribunal, the Swiss Supreme Court, and the Milan Court of Appeal, all of which ruled in favor of Solvay. The outcome follows more than 10 years of legal proceedings in relation to Solvay’s claims of environmental breaches by Edison, a subsidiary of EDF, in the context of Solvay's acquisition of the Italian company Ausimont in 2002.

The compensation relates to costs, losses and damages suffered by Solvay up to the end of 2016. Additional arbitration procedures are currently ongoing regarding costs, losses and damages suffered by Solvay from January 2017 onwards. Solvay is confident in the merits of its claim for additional significant compensation for damage in this second phase and expects proceedings to conclude in 2024.

"Solvay acquired the Spinetta site based on representations which failed to disclose material environmental lapses. Upon discovering important deficiencies, Solvay initiated proceedings against Edison and mobilized significant technical and financial resources to undertake important remedial actions”, said Marco Martinelli, Country Manager Italy and Industrial Director for the Group. “Our actions resulted in a significant improvement in air and water quality, inside and outside the industrial site.”

“At Solvay, we constantly strive to go above and beyond regulations with respect to health, safety and the environment, and we will not hesitate to act responsibly," explained Augusto Di Donfrancesco, member of Solvay’s Executive Leadership Team. "In recent years, we invested heavily in optimizing and modernizing our plants to meet the standards we set ourselves. Our sustainability priorities are guided by Solvay One Planet, with ambitious targets to drive progress across climate, resources and a better life."