ACC Statement on CIEL “Plastics Litigation Guide”

WASHINGTON (June 26, 2024) — Today the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) released a report on plastics. The following may be attributed to Ross Eisenberg, president of America’s Plastic Makers^®:

“CIEL’s report encouraging legal action against the plastics industry is a disappointing and misdirected distraction from the significant research and investments in product design, collection and recycling infrastructure plastic makers are making to help prevent plastic pollution.

“Today’s plastic makers are made up of problem-solvers, engineers and environmentalists seeking to create a more sustainable future. We are leveraging innovation so more used plastics become new plastics. This takes an all-the-above approach looking at the entire lifecycle of a plastic product. It begins at the design phase so a product can be reused or is compatible with the recycling stream, and often ends with AI-equipped sortation devices that can capture more used plastics to make new plastics. More still needs to be done, but through elements including infrastructure investment, R&D, stakeholder support, and effective policy, we can make this a challenge of the past and retain the essential benefits plastics provide modern society. 

“Unfortunately, some organizations prefer to ignore the environmental benefits of plastics and instead levy decades-old assertions and mischaracterizations to attack needed technologies that complement mechanical recycling, help manage more used plastics, and supply more recycled plastic to use in new products. Regardless, we will continue to create products that make our vehicles safer and more efficient, enable renewable energy, preserve our food, and underpin modern healthcare.”