California says ExxonMobil lied about plastics recycling

AMNA NAWAZ: A new lawsuit filed today accuses ExxonMobil of contributing to the world's plastic pollution.

The oil and gas company is one of the largest producers of the material used to make single-use plastics.

California's Attorney General Rob Bonta filed that lawsuit after a two-year investigation, and I spoke with him moments ago.

Attorney General Bonta, welcome back to the "News Hour."

Thanks for being with us.

ROB BONTA (D), California Attorney General: Thanks for having me, Amna.

AMNA NAWAZ: So, in this lawsuit, you're accusing ExxonMobil of what you call decades-long deception, and essentially lying to the public about the recyclability of plastics.

What specifically have they been saying over the last 50 years that you're alleging just isn't true?

ROB BONTA: Well, since the 70s, for decades, they have been telling the world, Americans, Californians, that plastics are recyclable and are being recycled, and that consumers can participate in a single-use throwaway culture, and it's OK because all those plastics that you throw away will be reclaimed, recycled, will show up in someone else's household as a useful plastic product, utensil or a container or something else.

And that is absolutely false.

And in many occasions, most occasions, the item is completely not recyclable and never going to be recycled.

AMNA NAWAZ: An ExxonMobil spokesperson did push back on parts of your lawsuit, saying in a statement to Reuters in part that - - quote -- "Suing people makes headlines, but it doesn't solve the plastic waste problem.

Advanced recycling is a real solution."

They're referencing their program that they actually had to convert plastic waste into petrochemical feedstock.

What's your reaction to that?

ROB BONTA: First, litigation can certainly solve problems.

It can stop ExxonMobil from lying.

They have been lying for decades.

They're still lying today.

Advanced recycling is part of that lying.

Here's why; 92 percent of what is produced by advanced recycling is not any other plastic product.

It is mostly transportation fuel and other items.

So they promise this circular recycling experience for their plastics through advanced recycling.

They can take any plastic, they say, and it'll come back into your household as a useful plastic product.

A water bottle will come back as another water bottle or maybe a container or utensil, something else useful.

And it's just not true, and they know it.

Only 8 percent of the plastics that they recycle through advanced -- so-called advanced recycling are actually turned into recyclable material.

Advanced recycling is not a solution.

It is another lie that they are telling.

It is completely predictable that they're telling it, because that's what they have done for decades.

But it's a lie.

AMNA NAWAZ: It's worth pointing out ExxonMobil does not actually produce or manufacture a lot of the single-use plastics that you're talking about here.

They are the largest producer of the plastic polymers that are used to then produce those single-use plastic products, right, the building blocks of the plastics.

ROB BONTA: Exactly.

AMNA NAWAZ: So why not go after the companies that actually make the single-use plastics that we agree are the core of this problem?

ROB BONTA: We're going to the source.

ExxonMobil is the biggest producer, as you mentioned, of the building blocks, the raw materials, the plastic pellets that they sell to their corporate clients, who then through melting and molding, through adding of chemicals, turn them into the products that we see.

But they're the biggest producers of the building blocks of the polymers, as you mentioned.

And so -- and they're one of the biggest liars, one of the biggest deceivers that have been engaged on their own and through their trade industry front groups perpetuating this myth of recycling.

So they must be held responsible.

And, in this case, it's unique.

It's pioneering.

It's trailblazing.

It's groundbreaking in the sense that it's the first time a public entity like the state of California has sued a petrochemical company like ExxonMobil that produces the plastic pellets, the polymers.

AMNA NAWAZ: There have also been campaigns over the years for consumers to reduce their plastic consumption, not just reuse and recycle, as you point out, which has abysmally low rates across the country.

But our usage as consumers has actually gone way up over the years.

So doesn't that play a role in creating more demand that manufacturers will say, we're just trying to meet?

ROB BONTA: When it comes to usage, no surprise that it's gone up.

That's exactly what ExxonMobil wants.

That's exactly what the myth of recycling is designed to manifest.

When people have comfort that they can use freely plastic products as much as they want and put them in the blue bin because it'll come back as a recycled product and not harm the environment -- in fact, they think they're being good stewards of the environment -- that increases use.

That's by design.

That's what ExxonMobil wanted.

And given that only 5 percent of the plastic waste in the United States of America is actually recycled, less use of plastic products might be something that a fully informed public might want to engage in and reuse of either plastic products or non-plastic products like cloth or fabric bags when you go shopping might be something people want to adopt as well.

But the myth of recycling was designed to drive purchasing -- purchases of and use of plastics up, up, up and also drive profits of ExxonMobil up, up, up.

And it's worked.

Last year, ExxonMobil made $36 billion in profit.

AMNA NAWAZ: That is California's Attorney General Rob Bonta joining us tonight.

Mr. Attorney General, thank you.

Good to see you.

ROB BONTA: Thanks for having me, Amna.

Good to see you.