California has launched a groundbreaking lawsuit against ExxonMobil, accusing the oil giant of misleading the public for decades about the role plastic recycling could play in solving the global plastic waste crisis. The lawsuit, announced on Monday by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, seeks to hold ExxonMobil accountable for its alleged role in exacerbating the plastic pollution problem by promoting recycling as a viable solution despite knowing its limitations.
"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," Bonta said in a statement. The attorney general's office claims that ExxonMobil, one of the largest producers of petroleum-based polymers, misled consumers into believing that recycling plastic waste was an effective means of reducing environmental harm, even as the company allegedly knew that plastic recycling was not feasible at scale.
The lawsuit, filed in San Francisco County Superior Court, is the result of a two-year investigation initiated by Bonta into fossil fuel and petrochemical companies. During this investigation, ExxonMobil and other plastic trade groups were subpoenaed, with Bonta seeking documents related to their practices and communications on the environmental impact of plastic production. While the lawsuit is a first of its kind, it echoes broader public concerns over the plastic industry's contributions to environmental degradation and climate change.
ExxonMobil, a major producer of single-use plastics, has been linked to a significant portion of the plastic waste collected from California's coastal cleanups, according to the attorney general's office. Over the past 40 years, more than 26 million pounds of trash have been gathered from California's beaches and waterways, with approximately 81% of it being plastic. A substantial portion of these materials can be traced back to ExxonMobil's polymer resins.
The lawsuit aims to compel ExxonMobil to end its alleged deceptive practices and seeks civil penalties, disgorgement, and the creation of an abatement fund to address the harm caused by plastic pollution in California. "ExxonMobil lied to further its record-breaking profits at the expense of our planet and possibly jeopardizing our health," Bonta added, as he emphasized the importance of holding major corporations accountable for their environmental impact.
This lawsuit is not the first time California has taken action against ExxonMobil for environmental concerns. Last year, the state sued Exxon and four other major oil companies for allegedly misleading the public about the dangers of climate change, despite knowing their products significantly contributed to global warming. That legal challenge was part of a growing wave of lawsuits brought by U.S. states and municipalities against major oil and gas companies, accusing them of deceiving the public about their environmental impact.
The state's lawsuit against ExxonMobil comes at a time when the plastic pollution crisis is increasingly under scrutiny, both domestically and internationally. According to a February report from the Center for Climate Integrity (CCI), plastic producers have long known that recycling is too cumbersome and expensive to serve as a large-scale solution to the issue of plastic waste. The report accused plastic companies of continuing to promote recycling as a way to deflect blame for the growing environmental crisis. Richard Wiles, president of CCI, called California's lawsuit "the most important legal action to date in the global fight against plastic pollution."
ExxonMobil has not yet responded to requests for comment on the lawsuit. However, industry groups have attempted to block similar legal actions in the past. In May 2024, they sought to prevent Bonta's investigation from moving forward by arguing that the state's inquiry violated their First Amendment rights. That challenge was rejected by a federal district judge earlier this month, allowing the case to proceed.
In a parallel move, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a law on Sunday banning the distribution of plastic shopping bags in the state, further signaling California's aggressive stance on curbing plastic pollution. Environmental advocates, including Judith Enck, head of the advocacy group Beyond Plastics, praised California's leadership. "Attorney General Bonta is leading the way to corporate accountability and a cleaner and healthier world," Enck said. "This lawsuit will set an invaluable precedent for others to follow."
Recent polling conducted by the Center for Climate Integrity and the progressive polling firm Data for Progress shows that a majority of American voters support holding oil and petrochemical companies accountable for the plastic pollution crisis. The survey revealed that 54% of Republicans also back legal actions to address the growing environmental problem, indicating bipartisan concern about the issue.
