Bonta Subpoenas ExxonMobil Over Alleged Role In Microplastics Pollution

By Madison Hirneisen | The Center Square, The Center Square California

(The Center Square) – California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a subpoena to ExxonMobil on Thursday as part of a broader investigation into the fossil fuel and petrochemical industries for their role in “causing and exacerbating the global plastics pollution crisis.”

The “first-of-its-kind investigation” will examine the industry’s “historic and ongoing efforts to deceive the public,” Bonta said Thursday. He alleged that, for more than 50 years, the plastics industry has perpetuated a “myth that recycling can solve the plastics crisis.”

“The truth is: The vast majority of plastic cannot be recycled, and the recycling rate has never surpassed 9%,” Bonta said. “Every week, we consume the equivalent of a credit card’s worth of plastic through the water we drink, the food we eat, and the air we breathe."

“This first-of-its-kind investigation will examine the fossil fuel industry’s role in creating and exacerbating the plastics pollution crisis – and what laws, if any, have been broken in the process.”

ExxonMobil has rejected the allegations from Bonta’s office, saying they “share society’s concerns” and are collaborating to support projects that improve waste management. In a statement, the company said it is the first company to deploy “commercial-scale advanced recycling technology” that converts used plastic into raw materials to be used to make new plastic.

“We are focused on solutions and meritless allegations like these distract from the important collaborative work that is underway to enhance waste management and improve circularity,” Exxon said.

A 2019 analysis from Dalberg Advisors and the University of Newcastle Australia estimated that “a third of plastic waste ends up in nature, accounting for 100 million metric tons of plastic waste in 2016.” Plastic pollution impacts the natural environment of most species on the planet, the analysis states, with the average person possibly consuming 5 grams of plastic on average per week.

Plastic production has skyrocketed in the last 70 years, reaching more than 300 million tons of plastic produced annually, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. At least 14 million tons of plastic end up in the ocean each year.

Bonta said the plastics industry, starting in the 1980s – including major fossil fuel companies – began an “aggressive and deceptive” marketing campaign in the 1980s to tell consumers that they could “recycle their way out of the plastic waste problem.”

The attorney general said his investigation will focus on this “campaign of deception and the ongoing harm caused to the State of California, its residents and its natural resources.”

California has made efforts to reduce single-use plastics in recent years. California grocery stores charge 10 cents per bag, and single-use carryout bags are banned under state law.

Additionally, the Los Angeles City Council approved a measure this week that would tighten restrictions on plastic bags, utensils and food containers, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The focus of the work of The Center Square California is state and local-level government and economic reporting that approaches stories with a taxpayer sensibility.