California Attorney General Rob Bonta has expressed approval of a Sacramento County Superior Court ruling that enforces an investigative subpoena against the Plastics Industry Association. The subpoena, issued by the California Department of Justice, is part of an investigation into the fossil fuel and petrochemical industries' contributions to plastic waste and pollution.
"In California and across the globe, plastics are everywhere. Plastic pollution is seeping into our waterways, poisoning our environment, and wreaking havoc on our health," said Attorney General Bonta. "The plastics industry has knowingly engaged in an aggressive, decades-long campaign to deceive the public, perpetuating a myth that recycling can solve the plastics crisis. We are pleased with the Court’s decision to grant our petition to enforce our investigative subpoena against PLASTICS. We are looking forward to vigorously pursuing our investigation."
The investigation aims to gather documents from PLASTICS concerning the feasibility of recycling and their historical campaign on plastic recyclability. These documents have been publicly available for research at the Hagley Library in Delaware for decades. They may reveal what the plastics industry knew about the environmental harms associated with plastics.
Attorney General Bonta filed a petition on May 28, 2024, to enforce this subpoena after PLASTICS argued that these documents were protected by the First Amendment due to their public availability at the library. The court dismissed this argument and ordered PLASTICS to comply fully with the subpoena by April 25, 2025.