news
Summary
California is suing ExxonMobil for allegedly misleading the public about the viability of plastic recycling, claiming the company prioritized profits over environmental health. The lawsuit accuses ExxonMobil of promoting recycling while downplaying the plastic waste crisis, as only a tiny percentage of plastic is actually recycled. Environmental advocates support the move, seeing it as a step toward holding corporations accountable for pollution.
Highlights -📌
- California sues ExxonMobil for deception over plastic recycling. ⚖️
- Attorney General Bonta claims ExxonMobil misled the public since the 1970s. 📅
- Only 9% of plastic is recycled globally; U.S. rate is 5%. 🌍
- Most plastic waste ends up in landfills or as pollution. 🚮
- ExxonMobil’s “advanced recycling” is labeled a PR stunt. 🎭
- Environmental groups praise California’s legal action. 🌿
- Lawsuit focuses on public nuisance claims, which are legally complex. 🔍
California is suing oil and gas giant ExxonMobil for allegedly lying to the public about the promise of plastic recycling, the state’s attorney general announced on Sept 22.
“For decades, ExxonMobil has been deceiving the public to convince us that plastic recycling could solve the plastic waste and pollution crisis when they clearly knew this wasn’t possible,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement. “ExxonMobil lied to further its record-breaking profits at the expense of our planet and possibly jeopardizing our health.”
An ExxonMobil spokesperson said in a statement that the real blame lies with the state of California for not addressing the issue sooner. “They failed to act, and now they seek to blame others,” the spokesperson said.
ExxonMobil is the world’s largest producer of polymers used to make single-use plastic. But Bonta’s statement notes that as the public became concerned about plastic washing up on beaches and choking sea life, ExxonMobbil shifted the responsibility for pollution onto consumers. The company promoted recycling over reducing plastic consumption, the statement added, even placing a 1989 editorial-style advertisement in Time magazine titled “The Urgent Need to Recycle.”
