In a move that signals California's heightened crackdown on corporate environmental practices, Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the state's suit against oil giant ExxonMobil, aiming to hold the company accountable for what the state deems as a deceptive and damaging narrative on the efficacy of plastic recycling. The allegations, detailed in the lawsuit, accuse ExxonMobil of perpetuating misleading messages about plastic recycling, a tactic that has been called out for contributing significantly to the global plastics pollution crisis, according to KTLA 5 News.
The lawsuit, underscored by Attorney General Bonta's remarks that "plastics are everywhere, causing irreversible damage," targets the pervasive presence of plastics and the company's pledge that recycling could mitigate the waste problem, despite evidence to the contrary, CNN reports. Meanwhile, ExxonMobil has returned criticism towards California officials, claiming they have long been aware of the inefficiencies in the state's recycling system and proposing that collaboration on advanced recycling methods, which ExxonMobil insists has processed over 60 million pounds of plastic waste, could be more constructive, as noted by a spokesperson in statements to both KTLA 5 News and CBS News Los Angeles.
The litigation comes as an extension of the state's endeavors to tackle the plastic issue, which include the recent ban on all plastic shopping bags initiated by Governor Gavin Newsom, and follows a multi-year Department of Justice investigation into the role fossil fuel and petrochemical companies have played in exacerbating the crisis, a probe that unearthed previously unseen documents. Bonta's commitment, focusing on consumer protection laws, aims to rectify decades of alleged misinformation by requiring ExxonMobil to end its deceptive practices and pay civil penalties, a statement by the attorney general's office said, as reported by CBS News Los Angeles.
Judith Enck, president of Beyond Plastics and former Environmental Protection Agency official, championed the lawsuit, considering it the most significant legal action against the plastics industry due to its longstanding false portrayal of the recycle-ability of plastics, "plastics are not designed to be recycled and therefore do not achieve a high recycling rate," she asserted, reflecting sentiments also echoed in The Guardian report of the situation. The majority of plastic products, as the attorney general's office pointed out, aren't and likely cannot be recycled, either technically or economically, with current recycling rates dismally low in the US and the vast majority of discarded plastic ending up in landfills, incinerated, or dumped into the environment, which ExxonMobil counters by promoting its chemical recycling technology as an effective solution, as reported by CBS News Los Angeles.
In addition to tackling the environmental impact, Bonta's legal action points toward potential health risks that come from pervasive plastic presence, as the attorney general asserts plastics, even in our own bodies have unknown ramifications on human health. The consequences of such practices are now in the hands of the judicial system, as echoed in numerous reports, including those found on CNN.
