Coke

By Douglas Main

Los Angeles this week sued PepsiCo and Coca-Cola for allegedly deceiving consumers and playing a “significant role” in a plastic pollution crisis that harms wildlife and poses a risk to human health.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, claims that the two global beverage and food companies are the “top plastic polluters in the world” and have engaged in a disinformation campaign designed to make consumers falsely believe that purchasing their products in single-use plastic bottles is an “environmentally responsible choice.”

“Coke and Pepsi need to stop the deception and take responsibility for the plastic pollution problems [their] products are causing,” Los Angeles County Board Chair Lindsey Horvath said in a statement.

Neither PepsiCo nor Coca-Cola immediately replied to requests for comment.

However, William Dermody, a spokesperson for American Beverage, which represents the non-alcoholic beverage industry in the U.S., wrote in a statement that “the allegation that our packaging is not and will not be recycled is simply not true.” Dermody added that “our bottles are designed to be recycled and remade and can include up to 100% recycled plastic.”

The suit is one of a growing number of cases where governmental bodies are pursuing legal means to address environmental problems relating to plastic.