As we mentioned earlier this week, through the shareholder proposal process, NLPC plans to continue to pressure companies next year over their policies that force their suppliers to infuse their plastic products and packaging with higher levels of recycled materials. The swap from so-called “virgin” or “single-use” plastics to more recycled input raises costs significantly, thus increasing consumer prices and helping to contribute to inflationary pressures, as we explained earlier this year in reports to Colgate-Palmolive and Walmart investors.
But not only have corporations implemented the policies — they have also formed or joined alliances and groups to collectively coerce plastics suppliers to comply with their demands. Now a few state attorneys general have taken notice and have issued warnings to some of these associations, as The Daily Wire reported:
Led by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier (pictured above), the officials said that the environmental groups GreenBlue, the Consumer Goods Forum, and U.S. Plastics Pact may each be violating consumer protection and antitrust laws. They demanded that the groups provide more information about their efforts to transform the plastic industry, according to a series of Wednesday letters obtained by The Daily Wire.
“Radical environmental activists do not have the right, nor the avenue, to suppress business operations in our market,” Uthmeier told The Daily Wire. “We will not allow these activist organizations to push misguided policies that can’t win at the ballot box and inflate prices for Florida consumers.”
Uthmeier said that Republican officials had “reason to believe” that the groups were “hindering states’ economic prosperity by coordinating business behavior.”
The other attorneys general who signed onto the letters include Brenna Bird (Iowa), Austin Knudsen (Montana), Mike Hilgers (Nebraska), and Ken Paxton (Texas).
They said that the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, one of GreenBlue’s projects, raised red flags about encouraging anti-competitive practices.
As NLPC reported in May, several companies are starting to realize that their recycling goals are unrealistic, costly and effect no environmental benefit in real-world terms. Walmart, Mondelez (parent of Nabisco), Mars and Nestle’ all left the U.S. Plastics Pact after concluding they would not reach their targets by this year.
NLPC has submitted shareholder proposals for next year, which call for companies to revisit their plastics policies, at Coca-Cola (proposal here), Home Depot (proposal here), and Mondelez (proposal here).
