‘Sportswashing’ deals must end

UK and French anti-asbestos campaigners and victims of asbestos exposure protested outside the France vs New Zealand rugby match in Paris last month, calling for an end to both teams’ “sportwashing” deals with Altrad.

The Montpellier-based firm is the parent company of Cape, a manufacturer of asbestos products in the UK from the 1950s to the 1980s.

A 2019 legal case in the UK Supreme Court forced Cape to disclose documents showing it withheld evidence on the true dangers of its asbestos products. Asbestos victims’ groups are demanding Altrad donates £10 million to research into life-extending treatments for the asbestos-related cancer, mesothelioma.

“Cape’s asbestos products are responsible for many deaths,” said Asbestos Victims Support Group Forum chair Rob Rayner. “As Cape’s parent company, Altrad has a moral obligation to put right some of the wrong that has been done.

“Altrad is a global brand, and a major sponsor of the French and New Zealand rugby teams. It is incomprehensible that they cannot find £10 million for mesothelioma research.”