{"id":25327,"date":"2022-04-29T11:49:07","date_gmt":"2022-04-29T11:49:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tahrir2day.com\/news\/2022\/04\/29\/california-investigating-exxonmobil-over-its-plastics-waste-2\/"},"modified":"2022-04-29T11:49:07","modified_gmt":"2022-04-29T11:49:07","slug":"california-investigating-exxonmobil-over-its-plastics-waste-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tahrir2day.com\/news\/2022\/04\/29\/california-investigating-exxonmobil-over-its-plastics-waste-2\/","title":{"rendered":"California investigating ExxonMobil over its plastics waste"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Attorney General of California on Thursday cited ExxonMobil as part of what he called a broader and first such investigation into the oil industry for its alleged role in causing a global plastic pollution crisis.<\/p>\n

Attorney General Rob Bonta said the industry has for decades encouraged the development and use of petroleum-derived plastics while seeking to minimize public understanding that their widespread use harms the environment and public health.<\/p>\n

“Every week, we consume the equivalent of a credit card for the value of plastic through the water we drink, the food we eat and the air we breathe,” he said, citing a 2019 study by the environmental group World Wide Fund for Nature.<\/p>\n

Bonta will question whether the petrochemical companies violated the law with what he described as their “historic and constant efforts to deceive the citizenry.” Bonta said ExxonMobil was cited as a major source of global plastic pollution and for its alleged prominent role in public deception about plastics.<\/p>\n

ExxonMobil and the Western Plastics Association did not comment immediately, and the Western States Petroleum Association declined to comment.<\/p>\n

But the American Chemical Council, which represents plastics manufacturers, issued a statement saying that “US plastics manufacturers are committed to a more sustainable future and have proposed comprehensive and bold actions at the state, federal and international levels.”<\/p>\n

The initiatives the industry group said it supports include requiring all plastic packaging in the U.S. by 2030 to include at least 30% recycled plastic; empowering packaging producers to help increase recycling; and support a legally binding global agreement to address the issue.<\/p>\n

Accusations of “ecological washing”<\/h2>\n

But Bonta said the industry appears to have been involved in “green washing” for decades by making consumers believe that plastics are environmentally friendly, in large part because they can be recycled.<\/p>\n

This marketing effort made “people feel comfortable consuming more and buying more plastic,” he said. “And that’s really the heart of the deception we’re going to investigate.”<\/p>\n

Businesses may have violated laws prohibiting unfair competition, misleading business practices, or outlawing “green washing,” Bonta said.<\/p>\n

A civil lawsuit could seek fines or damages, but Bonta said its main purpose is a legal order or agreement that would force companies to clean up plastic waste, make changes in plastics manufacturing and promote “non-misleading ways.” to talk about plastics “.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re really looking at the underlying problem of non-recyclability, essentially, of plastics, and that\u2019s a major issue,\u201d Bonta said. “And we’re investigating whether this was fueled by a decades-long deception campaign.”<\/p>\n

There is no deadline for the completion of the investigation, but Bonta said it is proceeding “with a level of urgency.”<\/p>\n

Risks of microplastics<\/h2>\n

The Bonta movement comes amid growing awareness of the ubiquity of discarded plastics and the role of \u201cmicroplastic\u201d waste in the food chain. Scientists are still studying the extent and the human damage caused by small pieces of broken plastic, some so small that they are invisible to the naked eye.<\/p>\n

The National Academy of Sciences said in December that the United States, the world’s largest producer of plastic waste, should reduce its production of plastics because it ends up in both the ocean and other waterways.<\/p>\n

Like Bonta, scientists have said that recycling will not solve the problem. Most plastic cannot be recycled and overall recycling rates have never exceeded 9%, Bonta said. The rest is incinerated, dumped or escaped into the environment.<\/p>\n

California is among the states that have struggled to encourage recycling against headwinds and to classify products that can be easily reused.<\/p>\n

California has banned single-use plastic bags and discourages the use of straws, plastic utensils and condiment packs.<\/p>\n

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