ChicoBag, a company very close to Team Marine, was pressed with a grim lawsuit this summer. Andy Keller, the founder of ChicoBag, was being sued by massive plastic bag companies, including Hilex Poly Company, LLC, Superbag Operating, LTD., and Advance Polybag, Inc. The companies said the facts posted on Keller’s site about the harmful effects of plastic bags were slander that was hurting their business. ChicoBag fought back, rallying more than 25,000, yes, that’s right, 25,000 people, with an online petition against the bag companies. Because of the public input and support from groups like Team Marine, all of the major plastic bag companies dropped their lawsuits! Though courts ruled that all facts posted on the ChicoBag website had to be cited, proving their validity, this was an easy compromise (because they were all true!). The same went for the websites of the plastic bag companies. Fun Fact: One bag company had written on their site that “12% of plastic bags were recycled,” when in reality, only 1% are! This is a huge Eco-victory and another step in the decline of the plastic bag industry. Congrats to Andy for making it out on top! Check out his site at:
http://www.chicobag.com
Photo: Andy Keller dressed as the “Plastic Bag Monster”
