California and Other Four Environmental Groups Filed a Lawsuit Against ExxonMobil Over Plastic Pollution

The estate of California suing a big plastics manufacturer for environmental harm is the first of its kind.

Diana Butron

The oil and gas giant is accused of knowingly contributing to "one of the most devastating global environmental crises of our time” according to the California Attorney General Rob Bonta.  Also, the lawsuit claims the company for being responsible for the overflow of plastics that harm California’s environment, wildlife, natural resources and people as they have deceived the public misleading them to think recycling could solve the plastic waste crisis.

This is one of dozens of lawsuits filed against the plastic industry in the U.S. since 2015. However this is not one coming from citizens or environmental groups. Also, this Californian lawsuit stands on its own as it’s using the power of the largest state in the U.S. and it’s against the largest plastic producer in the world.

Apart from seeking billions of dollars to fund subsiding damage caused by plastic pollution in California it also seeks Exxon to stop using terms as "advanced recycling”, "chemical recycling”, "circular”, "certified circular polymers” or even "recycling” for any of its products or operations.

In a written statement Exxon responded by blaming California to fail in plastic recycling and their continuous pursuit against chemical recycling technology as a solution. They also claimed they could have worked together instead of the state of California suing them and stated that the first step would have been to recognize that advanced recycling works just as the "California counterparts across the U.S. know."

Patrick Parenteau, legal scholar, has described the lawsuit of 147 pages as a "nuclear bomb aimed at Exxon” and said "it is incredibly detailed with factual allegations backed up by documents”.

The lawsuit, from the four environmental groups who also filed against Exxon, states that Exxon deceived the public into believing "plastic waste is easily and safely disposable through recycling, incineration or landfills", whereas in reality they stay in the environment for thousands of years and are known to be harmful for humans and the environment.

 

Please note that this is a short summary of the original article "Alleging Decades of Lies, California Sues ExxonMobil Over Plastic Pollution Crisis" by Bruggers, James on Inside Climate News.