Pepsi, Coca-Cola untruthful about about single-use plastic waste, lawsuit claims

Single-use plastic waste lawsuit overview: 

• Who: Los Angeles County has filed a lawsuit against PepsiCo and Coca-Cola
• Why: The county alleges the soda giants misled consumers about recycling’s effectiveness in reducing plastic waste.
• Where: The single-use plastic waste lawsuit was filed in a California state court.

Los Angeles County has slammed beverage giants PepsiCo and Coca-Cola with a lawsuit alleging the companies misled consumers about recycling’s effectiveness in reducing plastic waste. 

The county filed the lawsuit Oct. 29 against PepsiCo Inc., The Coca-Cola Company and their bottling firms in a California state court, alleging violations of public nuisance and business practice laws.

The county alleges the companies promote false information about recycling’s ability to handle the environmental impact of their single-use plastic products, which continue to pile up globally despite corporate promises to reduce plastic use.

“PepsiCo’s and Coca-Cola’s reliance on and deceptive marketing of single-use plastics are key contributors to plastic waste,” the lawsuit states.

According to the complaint, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola have ranked as leading global plastic polluters for years, with PepsiCo recently overtaking Coca-Cola in volume. 

The lawsuit argues that these companies contribute to landfill buildup and environmental contamination in California’s waterways, beaches, and urban areas. 

The complaint alleged that the plastic pollution releases toxins, including microplastics that harm plants, animals, and humans. Some studies suggest that individuals may be unknowingly consuming the equivalent of a “credit card’s worth” of plastic weekly, the lawsuit states.

Despite industry promises, plastic production continues to skyrocket, growing from 2 million tons in 1950 to 448 million tons in 2015, with projections to triple by 2060, the lawsuit states. 

PepsiCo and Coca-Cola allegedly mislead consumers with claims that their bottles can be recycled repeatedly, while in reality, they can typically be recycled only once, the county alleges. 

The complaint also states that while Coca-Cola claims it aims to use 50% recycled plastic by 2030, its current usage sits at just 13.6%, with PepsiCo at 6%.

The county also accuses the companies of failing to disclose the risks of microplastics leaching from their bottles into the drinks themselves. About 93% of bottled water, including Aquafina and Dasani, is contaminated with microplastics, the lawsuit states, citing studies. 

As a result, the county has filed the lawsuit against the soda giants under public nuisance laws and California’s business and professions code. It seeks to end the alleged deceptive practices and demands financial restitution and civil penalties.

Last year, New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit against PepsiCo Inc., Frito-Lay Inc. and Frito-Lay North America alleging Pepsi and its subsidiary Frito-Lay are largely responsible for the amount of plastic pollution along the shores of the Buffalo River. 

What do you think of the allegations in this single-use plastic waste lawsuit? Let us know in the comments. 

The plaintiff is represented by Dawyn R. Harrison, Scott Kuhn, Andrea Ross, Candice Roosjen and Jennifer Malone of the Los Angeles Office of the County Counsel and Linda Singer, Paige Boggs and Devin X. Williams of Motley Rice LLC. 

The Single-use plastic waste lawsuit is the People of the State of California v. PepsiCo Inc. et al., Case No. 24STCV28450, in the Superior Court of the State of California, County of Los Angeles.

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