• A Kansas county has sued a group of companies, alleging "false representations" about plastic recyclability.
• Energy giants ExxonMobil and Chevron are among the defendants named in the lawsuit.
• The lawsuit alleges a "decades-long campaign of fraud and deception about the recyclability of plastics."

A Kansas county has sued a group of nearly a dozen companies, including energy giants ExxonMobil and Chevron, accusing them of "false representations" to the public regarding the recyclability of plastics.

"This case is about Defendants' profit-driven decision to promote the idea to the American consumer that plastics were recyclable and better for the environment, when in reality they had information that only a tiny fraction of plastics are ever recycled," says the class action lawsuit filed this week by Kansas' Ford County.

The lawsuit, filed in US District Court for the District of Kansas, alleges that the petrochemical companies' "false representations" around the recyclability of plastics has resulted in higher production levels of plastic products, more demand for them, inflated prices for plastic products as well as issues with plastic waste remediation.

All of this, the lawsuit alleges, has harmed the citizens of Kansas.

ExxonMobil and Chevron did not immediately respond to requests for comment by Business Insider on Friday.

The lawsuit says that some of the largest oil and gas companies are among the 20 petrochemical companies responsible for more than half of all single-use plastics generated globally.

"Despite their long-standing knowledge that recycling plastic is neither technically nor economically viable, petrochemical companies — independently and through their industry trade associations and front groups — have engaged in fraudulent marketing and public education campaigns designed to mislead the public about the viability of plastic recycling as a solution to plastic waste," the lawsuit reads.

The complaint says that the plastics industry "should be held accountable for their campaign of deception."

The lawsuit seeks an undisclosed amount in damages as well as an injunction to enforce that the companies no longer advertise their plastic products as recyclable.

Globally, about 9% of plastic is actually recycled, according to a 2022 report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.