Donald Pols, the long-serving director of Dutch environmental organisation Milieudefensie, will join Tata Steel Nederland, one of Europe’s largest steel producers and a major carbon emitter, in a senior role.
The appointment announced yesterday forces Pols to immediately step down from his role at the NGO, which he has led since 2015.
Pols will join the Anglo-Indian steelmaker on June 1 as Director of Sustainability, with additional responsibility for corporate communications and public affairs.
The appointment prompted an immediate and sharp response from Milieudefensie.
Marty Smits, Chair of the Supervisory Board at thhe NGO, said the organisation was “surprised by his departure and very disappointed that he has chosen to join Tata Steel, one of the biggest polluters in the Netherlands”.
A number of observers suspect he will only serve to “greenwash” the image of the company and see the move as an opportunistic and even hypocritical one.
Pols has stepped down with immediate effect; an interim director will be appointed shortly, with Business Director Jessica Mahn and the existing management team maintaining operations in the meantime.
Born in Pretoria, South Africa, in 1972, Pols has a long career in environmental advocacy. Before leading Milieudefensie, he held senior positions at the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in China and as senior manager for international climate policy at the Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN).
Under his leadership, Milieudefensie achieved prominence through high-profile climate litigation, most notably the 2021 court victory against Shell ordering emissions reductions (later overturned on appeal in 2024).
The group has also targeted Tata Steel in campaigns and calls for accountability over emissions.
The steel company highlighted that his past criticism had helped refine its approach to greener steel production.
In a statement yesterday, Pols said: “At Tata Steel, I have the opportunity to show that industrial sustainability is not only something that can be enforced, but can also be driven from within.”
His role will involve the company’s Green Steel initiative, which aims to transition from coal-based production to hydrogen-based methods.
Tata Steel CEO Hans van den Berg welcomed the appointment, noting the need for people who “keep challenging us, even when it’s uncomfortable”.
The appointment comes amid continued scrutiny of Tata Steel’s IJmuiden plant, which has faced repeated criticism and fines for emissions of pollutants linked to health concerns in nearby communities.
In April 2026, the company was hit with an €8.5 million fine for ongoing emissions breaches.
Local groups such as Frisse Wind.nu and Greenpeace have long campaigned against the site’s impact on air quality and public health.
A Dutch court has ordered the government to drastically cut nitrogen emissions in the Netherlands by 2030, in a ruling that could hurt construction and will pressure farmers to reduce livestock. https://t.co/GpHhTWft1Z
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