We’ve been bombarded with terrible news and unspeakable horrors as of late, so we hope you’ll forgive us even when we miss some fairly big news in single-use plastics.
Case in point? Two weeks ago, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced a lawsuit against PepsiCo for the excessive amounts of single-use plastic packaging discovered in the Buffalo River. Citing the endangerment of the state’s water supply and public health—not to mention polluting the environment—the lawsuit takes aim at one of the world’s most notorious plastic polluters.
“No company is too big to ensure that their products do not damage our environment and public health,” James said in a statement about the lawsuit. “All New Yorkers have a basic right to clean water, yet PepsiCo’s irresponsible packaging and marketing endanger Buffalo’s water supply, environment, and public health.”
So, why PepsiCo and not Coca-Cola, Unilever, or Danone? According to a survey conducted by the Office of the Attorney General, the lion’s share of the flexible packaging and plastic bottles came from PepsiCo. “Of the 1,916 pieces of plastic trash collected with an identifiable brand, over 17 percent were produced by PepsiCo,” James said in the same statement. “PepsiCo’s plastic packaging far exceeded any other source of this identifiable plastic waste along the river, and it was three times more abundant than the next highest contributor.”
On the company’s part, they claim they are committed to using more recycled packaging for its line of products, with a spokesperson telling CNN, “PepsiCo is serious about plastic reduction and effective recycling and has been transparent in our journey to reduce the use of plastic and accelerate new packaging innovation.”
“This is a complex issue and requires involvement from a variety of stakeholders, including businesses, municipalities, waste-reduction providers, community leaders, and consumers,” they added. “We have worked effectively with a variety of communities across the country and remain committed to doing so.”
Of course, it’s not “effective” when you’re still pumping out unrecyclable chip bags and plastic bottles that brands can only use so many times.
The stated goal of the lawsuit would be to find that PepsiCo has created a public nuisance with its overreliance on plastic packaging, pushing the brand to eliminate its harmful environmental footprint while investing in more appropriate forms of packaging and adding warning labels to products. Additionally, damages—to be determined at trial—would seek to address the environmental destruction to the Buffalo River and the city’s residents.
What’s refreshing here is that the lawsuit doesn’t focus on litter as the primary culprit—instead, it’s the folks supplying you with the chip bag and plastic bottle in the first place.
Hopefully, more states will follow suit.