From desolate mountaintops to the depths of the ocean, from the air we breathe to the soil where we grow our food, every region, ecosystem, and strata of the biosphere — including our bodies — is impacted by plastic and its toxic pollution. With plastic production projected to triple over the next 40 years, the impacts of plastic pollution will only compound.
Plastic pollution is overwhelming the resources and economies of cities and countries as it clogs waterways, litters public spaces, pollutes environments, and threatens public health.
In June, CIEL launched a major new report, Making Plastic Polluters Pay: How Cities and States Can Recoup the Rising Costs of Plastic Pollution. It equips US state and local governments with tools to hold plastic producers accountable for the damages they cause and turn the tide on the plastics crisis.
Our report provided detailed legal analysis and actionable insights for state governments on how to use nuisance, product liability, and consumer protection laws to seek remedy and accountability from polluters. It comes as the state of New York and the city of Baltimore have filed claims against plastic manufacturers — the start of a broader movement of similar cases to make plastic polluters pay for their harms.
For decades, the plastics industry has profited as it has pushed its plastic products on the public. It has spent millions to cover up the harms of its products and perpetuate the idea that consumers bear responsibility for the plastics crisis.
CIEL’s investigative research exposes the real culprit of the plastics crisis: the corporate actors who produce and market plastic. Our new legal guide builds on years of research exposing the plastics industry’s repeated campaigns to derail regulations while selling the public solutions they know are doomed to fail.
From the 1980s to the current day, the plastic industry has heralded both mechanical and “advanced” recycling (incinerating plastic) as a solution for plastic waste despite problems with technical and economic feasibility. The plastic industry has demonstrated repeated failures to produce “recycled” plastic at scale. Our guide holds plastic polluters accountable for their pollution and exposes the myths they spread to keep plastic production and profit high.
Our report forms part of a concerted effort to work handin hand with movement partners to ensure government attorneys have the tools and public support needed to hold plastic polluters accountable and secure victories for the environment and communities across the United States.