Graphic Packaging International pledges continued improvements in face of US$600M environmental lawsuit

28 Jul 2023 --- Graphic Packaging International (GPI) is facing a US$600 million lawsuit filed by plaintiffs representing approximately 8,000 residents in the city of Kalamazoo, US, where the company owns a paper mill. The plaintiffs assert that air pollution emitted by the mill is causing health deterioration and death to surrounding communities and that GPI and city authorities have knowingly ignored warning signs for decades. 

The lawsuit alleges violations of the US Constitution, the federal Clean Air Act, and Michigan’s Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act. 

Plaintiffs assert residents are “suffering from intentional discrimination acted out in a conspiracy to violate their civil rights, causing them to suffer wrongful deaths, irreparable bodily harm, assaults, batteries, severe emotional distress and regular nuisances.” 

Hydrogen sulfide, a byproduct of paper production, can be extremely dangerous to human and environmental health. The US Environmental Protection Agency states that 1.4 parts per billion (ppb) in the air is the minimum risk level of hydrogen sulfide that can be inhaled.

GPI says it is proud of its work in Kalamazoo and will defend itself against false and misleading claims.This week, sensor readings from Kalamazoo Wastewater Reclamation Plant, which Michigan state ordered to be made public this year, showed levels as high as 36 ppb. A disclaimer says these readings are given in real-time and have not had any quality assurance or quality control performed.

GPI responds 
A spokesperson from GPI says the company is currently reviewing the lawsuit and will not comment on pending litigation outside of court. 

“As a general matter, we will defend ourselves against any false and misleading claims. We are proud of our work and our record in Kalamazoo and take very seriously our responsibility as a good neighbor, community partner and employer to 750 people at our Kalamazoo campus,” they say. 

“We have invested millions of dollars in facility improvements and monitoring to address environmental concerns, and we will continue to build on those enhancements alongside city leaders and state and federal regulators to promote the health and well-being of our neighbors in Kalamazoo.” 

But the lawsuit alleges that GPI has been responsible for hazardous chemical spills within the city on numerous occasions and that employees and company directors failed to make reports to city authorities or the EPA.

Health damages 
Citizens of Kalamazoo’s North and East side neighborhoods have “long suffered heightened levels of respiratory diseases, kidney diseases, cancers, birth defects, infant deaths, and other health disparities,” reads the lawsuit. 

These conditions have reportedly led to a 14-year life expectancy gap between different zones of Kalamazoo. The lawsuit alleges that hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent to remediate environmental conditions in the Western districts of Michigan but not in predominantly Black neighborhoods such as those in areas of Kalamazoo. 

The lawsuit is not the first case claiming racial discrimination arising from the production of packaging materials. Last year, a district court in Louisiana, US, revoked environmental permits from a planned plastic production facility that would have been one of the world’s largest producers of PE, PP and ethanol glycol. 

The facility was planned for production in an area of Mississippi dubbed “cancer alley,” where some towns (majority Black) report a premature death in almost every household. 

Packaging Insights recently spoke with John Beard Jr, a former employee of ExxonMobil who now campaigns on behalf of Port Arthur Community Action Network, representing marginalized US communities disproportionately affected by pollution in areas where petrochemicals are produced.

By Louis Gore-Langton