LA County sues Coke and Pepsi over alleged impact of plastic bottles on environment and public health - Orange County Register

Los Angeles County filed a lawsuit Wednesday against PepsiCo and Coca-Cola for their alleged roles in negative environmental and public health impacts, saying neither company is doing enough to combat the problem.

The Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit also alleges that the Colas misrepresented the recyclability of plastic beverage containers and failed to disclose significant environmental and health harms associated with the use of plastic beverage containers.

Recycling with current methods fails to eliminate environmental impacts and most plastic containers end up in landfills or as litter, according to the lawsuit, which further alleges that the production, disposal and recycling of plastic generates greenhouse gas emissions and environmental impacts that have a negative impact on the province. Residents.

“Los Angeles County is committed to reducing plastic use and protecting the environment,” said Lindsey Horvath, chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. “Coke and Pepsi must stop the cheating and take responsibility for the plastic pollution problems your products cause. Los Angeles County will continue to address the serious environmental impacts caused by companies that engage in deceptive and unfair business practices.”

Representatives of the companies were not immediately available for comment.

Coca-Cola and PepsiCo jointly own Coke, Pepsi, Dasani, Smartwater, Fanta, Aquafina, Gatorade, 7-Up, Sprite, Vitamin Water and Mountain Dew. The two companies have been ranked as the world’s top plastic polluters for five years in a row and have had no responsibility for their plastic pollution, the lawsuit alleges.

The lawsuit further alleges that PepsiCo and Coca-Cola have waged a disinformation campaign to mislead consumers into believing that purchasing their products in single-use plastic bottles is an environmentally responsible choice. But because plastic does not biodegrade naturally in the environment and instead turns into smaller pieces, the products pile up and contaminate land and water resources, polluting natural resources, harming the environment and wildlife and public health is threatened, the complaint said.

PepsiCo and Coca-Cola also made false promises that they would increase the use of recycled plastic by certain percentages and eliminate the use of virgin plastic, the indictment said.

The lawsuit asks a judge to issue an injunction to stop the companies’ alleged unfair and deceptive business practices, reimburse consumers for the money obtained through the companies’ alleged unfair and deceptive business practices, and civil damages fines up to $2,500 per violation.