Recent report reveals companies are trying to stop tackling plastic pollution – One Green Planet

A recent report from the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) reveals decades of corporate obstruction in the face of the plastic pollution crisis, suggesting potential violations of U.S. laws. The report highlights the heavy burdens that plastic pollution places on U.S. cities and states, and suggests that plastic producers may be violating public nuisance, product liability, and consumer protection laws.

Cities like Baltimore are starting to file lawsuits against plastic manufacturers, but CIEL warns that this is just the beginning as more municipalities struggle with plastic waste and microplastic contamination. Taxpayers bear the costs of cleaning up plastic pollution, and research indicates people could be ingesting up to a credit card’s worth of plastic every week.

Carroll Muffett, president of CIEL, highlighted the serious impact of plastic pollution, noting that companies like ExxonMobil, Shell Polymers, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Unilever, aware of the risks, continued to produce and market plastics. Since World War II, plastic production has exploded, reaching 460 million tonnes per year in 2019.

Despite the persistence of plastics in the environment, producers have waged aggressive marketing campaigns to shift the blame to consumers, coining terms such as “litterbug.” In the 1980s, the industry further misled the public with recycling symbols suggesting recyclability, even though effective recycling was not achievable. Attempts to reduce plastic use, such as Massachusetts’ 1989 initiative to ban single-use packaging, have been met with fierce industry opposition. The industry has used a variety of strategies, including legal challenges, lobbying, and the creation of front groups, to defeat these efforts.

Modern tactics remain the same. The American Chemistry Council has spent millions of dollars on local advertising to oppose anti-plastic measures and promote “advanced recycling,” criticized for its high energy consumption and pollution.

Lawsuits against plastic producers are mounting. Baltimore has sued several plastics companies, and New York filed a lawsuit against PepsiCo in 2023. Investigations and reports continue to expose the industry’s long-term deception and its role in the plastics crisis.

Solution Not Pollution Sweatshirt by Tiny Rescue: Climate Collection

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