WASHINGTON – The world's plastics problem isn't only beverage companies' problem to solve, an industry lobbying group said on the heels of lawsuit filed in San Mateo County court last week that says otherwise.
In a statement issued shortly after the lawsuit filed by a group of environmental groups was filed Wednesday in San Mateo County Superior Court, the American Beverage Association, which represents U.S. non-alcoholic beverage industry companies, conceded that plastics in the world's water ways are a problem.
"Plastic waste is a worldwide problem that demands thoughtful solutions," William M. Dermody Jr., a spokesman for the association said in the widely reported statement. "America’s beverage companies are already taking action to address the issue by reducing our use of new plastic, investing to increase the collection of our bottles so they can be remade into new bottles as intended, and collaborating with legislators and third-party experts to achieve meaningful policy resolutions."
Southern California Record has not yet received a reply to its request for details about solutions are being considered to resolve the problem of worldwide plastic waste or what action the industry has taken. Still, a quick look at the association's website reminds the world of a major $100 million industry bottle recycling campaign announced last fall and other initiatives that go back more than a decade.
The environmental groups, which filed the lawsuit and who refer to beverage industry companies as "Big Plastic," are not impressed.
"The Coca-Cola Company and our other defendants churn out millions of tons of plastic packaging each year and want us to believe that it is all being recycled," Sumona Majumdar, general counsel for Earth Island Institute, one of the environmental plaintiffs in the case, said. "It's a misinformation campaign, similar to those used by Big Tobacco, Big Oil, and Big Pharma. Now is the time to hold Big Plastic similarly accountable."
This lawsuit may be only the beginning of such litigation to come.
"This is the first of what I believe will be a wave of lawsuits seeking to hold the plastics industry accountable for the unprecedented mess in our oceans," Earth Island Institute Board President Josh Floum, an inactive Mill Valley corporate and antitrust attorney, said during a press conference Thursday. "These plastics peddlers knew that our nation’s disposal and recycling capabilities would be overrun, and their products would end up polluting our waterways."
More than a decade has passed since the American Beverage Association issued its statement on plastic containers in April 2008. The four-paragraph statement mentions bisphenol-A contamination more than recycling but also provided information to assist consumers in knowing whether a single-use container can be recycled.
"Most importantly, our containers are hygienically sealed, allowing us to bring our products to market in a shelf-stable way, and are 100 percent recyclable," the statement said. "Consumers trust us because we are committed to providing them with products that are refreshing, convenient and, above all, safe."
The beverage industry has stuck by that statement
In late October, the association announced the launch of its "Every Bottle Back" initiative in which the nation's leading nonalcoholic beverage companies, Coca-Cola, Keurig Dr Pepper and PepsiCo, would aim to increase recycling rates and reduce the use of unrecycled resin. The initiative is aimed at increasing the amount of plastic bottles that are recycled and made into new single-use containers.
"These competitors are coming together to support the circular plastics economy by reinforcing to consumers the value of their 100 percent recyclable plastic bottles and caps and ensuring they don't end up as waste in oceans, rivers or landfills," the association said in its announcement. "This program is being executed in conjunction with two of the country's most prominent environmental nonprofits and the leading investment firm focused on the development of the circular economy."
World Wildlife Fund is providing "strategic scientific advice" to measure how close participating beverage companies get to "reducing its plastic footprint" while The Recycling Partnership and Closed Loop Partners are assisting "in deploying funds for the initiative."
The three participating companies invested $100 million to kick off the initiative and matching funds were expected to produce an overall fund of $400 million.
"We are excited to partner with the leading environmental and recycling organizations to build a circular system for the production, use, recovery and remaking of our bottles," American Beverage Association President and CEO Katherine Lugar was quoted in the announcement. "Every Bottle Back will ensure that our plastic bottles are recovered after use and remade into new bottles, so we can reduce the amount of new plastic used to bring our beverages to market. This is an important step for our industry, and it builds on our ongoing commitment to protecting the environment for generations to come."
Coke and Pepsi are among the named defendants in the San Mateo County lawsuit while Keurig Dr Pepper is not.