New York State Attorney General Letitia James has filed charges against US soft drinks giant PepsiCo for endangering the environment and public health through plastic pollution in a river.
According to a press release issued by her office on Wednesday, Ms. James accused PepsiCo – whose headquarters is in New York state – of “harming the public and failing to warn consumers about health and environmental risks associated with single-use plastic packaging.”
The complaint also alleges that the group “deceived the public about the effectiveness of its plastic recycling and its efforts to combat plastic pollution,” and specifically alleges that PepsiCo’s use of non-recycled plastic progressed for four years the group claimed the opposite.
A PepsiCo spokesperson assured that the group “takes plastic reduction and effective recycling seriously” and that it “has been transparent about this.” [son] The aim is to reduce the use of plastic and accelerate innovation in new packaging.
This “complex problem” requires the engagement of many stakeholders, including businesses, communities, consumers, etc., the group said, calling for “collaboration” and claiming to have worked “effectively” on the needs of the population in New York.
“Damage Inflicted”
The prosecutor’s goal is, among other things, to obtain from the group an end to these practices, the cleanup of the affected areas, and various compensation and financial sanctions for the “harm caused to the residents and environment of New York.” .
These lawsuits, described as “historic and avant-garde,” are based on trash collections conducted in 2022 along the fifteen-kilometer-long Buffalo River, which flows in the northern part of the state and flows into Lake Erie.
Of the approximately 2,000 identifiable plastic wastes, 17% were produced by PepsiCo, an amount three times that of the second largest identifiable contributor, the release said, adding that between 2013 and 2022, approximately 78% of PepsiCo’s waste The Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper was made of plastic.
“As soon as single-use plastic enters the environment, it begins to break down quickly and release dangerous microplastics,” states the public prosecutor’s office.
“No group is too big to ensure that its products do not harm our environment and the public’s health,” argued Ms. James, quoted in the press release.
“All New Yorkers have a fundamental right to clean water, but PepciCo’s irresponsible packaging and marketing endanger Buffalo’s water supply, the environment and public health,” he said. She emphasizes.
The press release also mentions a study conducted by the NGO Break Free From Plastic, which recorded more than two million pieces of plastic waste at more than 2,300 locations in the United States between 2018 and 2022. PepsiCo was number one or number two every year.