Exxon manufactures raw materials for plastic products.
In a lawsuit filed by the state's top lawyer, Rob Bonta, in San Francisco, he motivates it by saying that Exxon has deceived consumers for decades with sly marketing.
Plastic pollutes our drinking water, strangles our wildlife, and destroys the landscape, said Bonta to journalists in connection with the filing of the lawsuit.
He described the presence of microplastics in nature, animals, and human organs as a serious problem.
And what solution does Exxon have to offer? Recycling – a farce, a lie, a betrayal, said Bonta.
California's goal is to get the company to pay the bill for cleaning up plastic waste in the sea and on land, and also to inform consumers about the problems with plastic products. The bill can, according to Rob Bonta, amount to billions, counted in dollars.
The company defends itself, in a statement, among other things, by saying that the authorities in California have not managed to set up a functioning recycling system.