“Deep Disappointment” as Environmental Leader Joins Tata Steel - DutchNews.nl
The former Milieudefensie chief will oversee sustainability and public affairs as Tata Steel pushes its Green Steel transition.
- Milieudefensie director Donald Pols will join Tata Steel Nederland on June 1 as Director of Sustainability, immediately stepping down from the Dutch NGO he has led since 2015.
- Pols gained prominence leading the Dutch NGO Milieudefensie through high-profile climate litigation, most notably a 2021 court victory against Shell ordering emissions reductions before the company later appealed.
- Tata Steel's IJmuiden plant faces ongoing scrutiny for emissions, including an €8.5 million fine in April 2026; local groups like Greenpeace and Frisse Wind have long campaigned against the site's health impact.
- Marty Smits, Chair of the Supervisory Board at the NGO, said the organization was "surprised by his departure and very disappointed that he has chosen to join Tata Steel, one of the biggest polluters in the Netherlands."
- Tata Steel CEO Hans van den Berg welcomed Pols, noting the need for people who "keep challenging us, even when it's uncomfortable," though some observers suspect the hire is an attempt to "greenwash" the company's image.
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The director of Milieudefensie, Donald Pols, is making a remarkable move: as of June 1, he will start working at Tata Steel. He must leave Milieudefensie with immediate effect. The organization is ‘very disappointed’. In *De Kwestie*, we put a question to our readers about this. Please respond below as well.
Industry: Tata Steel is one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases in the Netherlands. Pols, director of Milieudefensie for more than ten years, wants his…
Milieudefensie director Donald Pols is joining Tata Steel Netherlands. Consequently, he must leave the environmental organization with immediate effect. As of June 1, Pols will become Director of Sustainability at the steel manufacturer and will also head the communications department, Tata Steel announced in a statement. The company also says that Pols' earlier criticism of Tata Steel helped refine his plans for green steel.
Director Donald Pols is leaving Milieudefensie. The Supervisory Board is sidelining him effective immediately because he has a new job as director...
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