PepsiCo Sued By New York State Over Plastic Pollution

New York state sued PepsiCo on Wednesday, pointing to the soda giant's plastic waste as a scourge of waterways and blasting the company's "misleading" statements on the environment.

The civil suit, filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James in New York state Supreme Court, seeks a finding that PepsiCo contributed to a "public nuisance" in the Buffalo River; the imposition of financial penalties and compensatory damages on the company; and an order that PepsiCo cease the sale of single-use plastic on goods that do not warn of the environmental ills.

"All New Yorkers have a basic right to clean water, yet PepsiCo's irresponsible packaging and marketing endanger Buffalo's water supply, environment, and public health," James said in a statement.

"No one should have to worry about plastics in their drinking water, plastic garbage littering their scenic riverfront, or plastic pollution harming wildlife."

PepsiCo did not immediately respond to a request from AFP for comment.

A survey by James' office found that PepsiCo's plastic packaging was by far the greatest source of Buffalo River plastic pollution, three times as abundant as the next contributor (McDonald's), according to the suit.

The plastics "cause wide-ranging harms to the public and New York State," said the suit, which points to the presence of microplastics throughout the human body and fish game species.

Health-related problems "include early puberty in females, reduced sperm counts, altered functions of reproductive organs, obesity, altered sex-specific behaviors and increased rates of some kinds of cancers," said the suit.

The lawsuit acknowledges company statements pledging action to reduce plastic pollution, but depicts PepsiCo as repeatedly falling short of pledges.

Further, the suit says PepsiCo has not chosen alternatives to single-use plastics to any significant degree in the New York market. In contrast, PepsiCo has announced refillable and returnable glass and plastic programs in international markets including Mexico and Germany, according to the suit.