California's scathing lawsuit against ExxonMobil Corp. alleging decades of plastics-related misdeeds is 147 pages.
The company's immediate response is less than 147 words, essentially telling the state not to blame the company for its own misdeeds.
ExxonMobil, one of the world's largest plastics and petrochemical companies, is not only admonishing state Attorney General Rob Bonta's Sept. 23 lawsuit but is also pushing back on the idea that chemical recycling of plastics does not work.
"For decades, California officials have known their recycling system isn't effective. They failed to act, and now they seek to blame others. Instead of suing us, they could have worked with us to fix the problem and keep plastic out of landfills," the company said in a statement.
"The first step would be to acknowledge what their counterparts across the U.S. know: advanced recycling works. To date, we've processed more than 60 million pounds of plastic waste into usable raw materials, keeping it out of landfills. We're bringing real solutions, recycling plastic waste that couldn't be recycled by traditional methods."
Chemical recycling — which some industry officials refer to as advanced recycling — is a term that covers several different processes that convert plastics to raw materials that can be used to make new plastics or fuel.
Bonta, for his part, claims ExxonMobil has been the one tricking society for decades.
"The plastics industry, through its deceptive public messaging regarding plastic recycling, is responsible for one of the most devastating global environmental crises of our time: the plastic waste and pollution crisis," the lawsuit states.