Los Angeles County has filed a lawsuit against beverage manufacturers PepsiCo and Coca-Cola, accusing them of polluting the most populous county in the United States with plastic bottles and misleading the public about the environmental impact and recyclability of their containers.
In a complaint filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, the county alleges that the companies contribute to plastic pollution with their single-use plastic bottles and are conducting a campaign to deceive consumers into believing their products are recyclable.
According to the lawsuit, led by Democratic officials, the companies acted in this manner despite knowing that the plastic from their bottles could not be recycled at a scale sufficient to offset the harmful effects of these containers on the environment, with most ending up in landfills or as litter.
The county argues that plastic pollution related to the products manufactured by these companies constitutes a public nuisance that they should be compelled to remedy. The lawsuit claims that Pepsi and Coca-Cola should face penalties for unfair and deceptive business practices.
“Coke and Pepsi need to stop misleading the public and take responsibility for the plastic pollution problems their products create,” said Lindsey Horvath, Democratic Chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, in a statement.
The companies did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday. In response to similar lawsuits in the past, they have denied making misleading statements and claimed to be working towards environmental sustainability.
This case is the latest in a series of lawsuits initiated by states and local governments in the United States, as well as environmental advocates, against companies that produce and market plastic materials.
Pepsi is currently fighting a plastic pollution lawsuit filed last year by the New York Attorney General. In September, the California Attorney General also sued Exxon Mobil, a company that produces polymers used to make single-use plastics. Both attorneys general are Democrats.
In August, a Washington appeals court revived a lawsuit filed in 2020 by the environmental group Earth Island Institute, accusing Coca-Cola of misleading consumers into believing its practices were environmentally sustainable.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, over 400 million tons of plastic waste are produced worldwide each year, with less than 10% being recycled.
The new lawsuit states that plastic accounted for 246,124 tons of all waste produced by residences in Los Angeles County in 2024, and 628,211 tons of all commercial waste in the community.
Source: zonebourse
