Ask Not What Your Corporations Can Do For You:
How the Plastic and Consumer Goods Industries Profit While Communities Drown in Taxpayer-Funded Pollution
One of our roles is to research plastic pollution and develop solutions to the problem, which is a challenge when a significant amount of the publicly available research is funded by the very industries and corporations responsible for the problem.
We’re often asked why we don’t have container deposit legislation (recycling refund, bottle bill) or extended producer responsibility (EPR) for packaging in Virginia. The short answer is because of outsized industry influence and a lack of political will. The full answer is more complex.
This series of reports examines the connection between global multibillion dollar companies, corporate lobbying efforts, taxpayer funded grants, and the proliferation of plastic in Virginia.
Please reference the glossary below for more detailed explanations about some topics and subjects referenced in these reports. The glossary contains information about industry trade associations who influence Virginia’s policies, taxpayer funded grants accessed by petrochemical and consumer goods companies, and legislative policies mentioned throughout this series.
This report tells the story of Mondelez International, powerful Virginia lobbyists and the false claims they use to stop legislation in Virginia.
Mondelez International is a global snack company that manufactures many popular products and brands including Oreos, Wheat Thins, and Sour Patch Kids. Since 2015 they have received over $2.5 million from taxpayer funded grants and tax breaks to support the expansion of their facility in Henrico. Despite public statements of support for extended producer responsibility (EPR), they have succesfully lobbied Virginia’s lawmakers to stop EPR.
Reports incoming
Reports incoming
Contact Us
Email: cleanups@cleanvirginiawaterways.org
Phone: 757-800-2305
Mailing Address: 1213 Laskin Road, Suite 101
Virginia Beach, VA 23451
Sign Up to Clean Up
Clean Virginia Waterways is a registered 501c(3) nonprofit organization EIN #99-3105883. In accordance with IRS regulations, your donation is tax-deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law.