BURLINGAME, Calif. – California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Monday announced the filing of an unprecedented lawsuit against ExxonMobil for allegedly engaging in a 50-year campaign of deception that “caused and exacerbated the global plastics pollution crisis.”
In a complaint filed in the San Francisco County Superior Court, the Department of Justice alleged that Exxon Mobil uses “slick marketing” to promise that recycling addresses the “ever-increasing” amount of plastic waste the company produces. Exxon produces the largest amount of polymers that becomes waste in California, the AG’s office said.
Bonta said his lawsuit aims to compel Exxon to “end its deceptive practices,” create an abatement fund and enact civil penalties.
“Plastics are everywhere, from the deepest parts of our oceans, the highest peaks on earth, and even in our bodies, causing irreversible damage—in ways known and unknown—to our environment and potentially our health,” Bonta said in a statement. “For decades, ExxonMobil has been …