Concern about the fossil fuel and plastics industries’ alleged deception about recycling is growing, with new polling showing a majority of American voters, including 54% of Republicans, support legal efforts to hold the sectors accountable.
The industries have faced increasing scrutiny for their role in the global plastics pollution crisis, including an ongoing California investigation and dozens of suits filed over the last decade against consumer brands that sell plastics.
Research published earlier this year found that plastic producers have known for decades that plastic recycling is too cumbersome and expensive to ever become a feasible waste management solution, but promoted it to the public anyway.
The revelations from fossil fuel accountability advocacy group Center for Climate Integrity (CCI) sparked calls for legal action from advocates and officials. But no lawsuits have yet been filed about this alleged disinformation campaign.
Now, new polling data shared with the Guardian shows that 70% of American voters would support such litigation, including a majority of Republicans.
The results show that “regardless of your politics, no one is really OK with a corporation lying to consumers”, said CCI investigative researcher Davis Allen, who led the organization’s report.
The survey of 1,200 likely American voters was conducted in August by the CCI and the progressive polling firm Data for Progress. The polling sample was weighted to be representative of likely voters by age, gender, education, race, geography and voting history.
Asked to gauge their level of worry about plastic waste in waterways, 63% said they were “very concerned”, including 73% of Democrats, 60% of independents and 53% of Republicans. A majority also indicated some level of worry about plastic litter in their communities, plastic waste in landfills and microplastics in their bodies.
Participants were then informed that some officials, citing evidence of deception, have called for litigation against the plastics and fossil fuel industries for their role in plastic pollution. Majorities from every political affiliation said they would back the efforts, including not only 54% of Republicans but also 88% of Democrats and 66% of independents.
The poll went on to ask respondents about the industry’s well-known “chasing arrows” symbol, which plastic producers have been using since the 1980s. Though it is widely recognized as a symbol for recyclable plastic, it is often used on products that are not recyclable at all, the poll explained.
Most respondents, 62%, strongly agreed that putting the chasing arrows symbol on a non-recyclable plastic product is deceptive, including 57% of Republicans. Half of voters remained in strong agreement that the symbol would be deceptive if placed on plastic products that are technically recyclable but not usually recycled in practice.
When the poll informed respondents that some advocates compare the plastics and fossil fuel industries’ promotion of plastics recycling to the opioid and tobacco industries’ efforts to downplay the harmful effects of their products, 68% of voters said they strongly believed that the plastics sector should be held responsible for the plastic waste crisis. Some 59% felt the same about the fossil fuel industry.
When survey respondents were asked to estimate the percentage of plastic recycled nationwide, they initially guessed just under 45%. In fact, just 5% of plastic waste generated by US households in 2021 was recycled, one study found.
Ross Eisenberg, the president of America’s Plastic Makers – a part of the American Chemistry Council lobbying group – said: “It is disappointing that misconceptions about the plastics industry are diverting attention from real solutions.” He said that to increase plastic recycling, the industry is advocating for effective policies, investing in new technologies and setting new internal goals.
The Plastics Industry Association trade group did not respond to a request for comment. The American Petroleum Institute oil and gas lobbying group deferred to the American Chemistry Council.
The poll comes amid increasing scrutiny of industry messaging about plastics’ recyclability. Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency said that the chasing arrows symbol’s use on many plastic products was “deceptive”, and the Federal Trade Commission is now working to revise its Green Guide documents, which define how companies can use marketing terms like “recyclable” and “compostable”.
Two years ago, California’s attorney general, Rob Bonta, publicly launched an investigation into fossil fuel and petrochemical producers “for their role in causing and exacerbating the global plastics pollution crisis”. As part of the investigation, he issued a subpoena to oil giant ExxonMobil, a major source of global plastics pollution. Advocates have long wondered whether the investigation will eventually lead to a lawsuit. ExxonMobil declined to comment.
“California’s investigation is the first to focus on not only the fossil fuel and petrochemical companies that produce plastic, but also their deceptive and fraudulent conduct in promoting recycling as a false solution to the plastic waste crisis,” said Alyssa Johl, the CCI’s vice-president and general counsel. “If that investigation results in a lawsuit, it would be the first of its kind, and our findings show the public would support it.”
Since 2015, US organizations and municipalities have also filed 60 lawsuits against consumer brands over plastic pollution, alleging breaches of environmental regulations, claiming that pollution is a public nuisance and accusing companies of greenwashing, among other allegations. Meanwhile, two dozen state and municipal lawsuits accusing the fossil fuel industry of climate deception are wending their way through the US courts.
