EPR & Regulation
The Circular Action Alliance (CAA), the producer responsibility organization responsible for implementing California's packaging extended producer responsibility (EPR) law, submitted a draft program plan to the SB 54 Advisory Committee on June 15. The draft projects a maximum program budget of $1.87 billion in 2027, with cumulative budgets over the next five years between $9.35 billion and $17.2 billion. The plan faces multiple challenges, including regulatory delays, cost disputes, and lawsuits from environmental groups.
Since 2023, Oregon has passed legislation allowing residents to bring their own reusable containers into food establishments, accompanied by a ban on foam plastics. The Portland metropolitan government, Metro, has seized this opportunity to launch the Choose to Reuse regional initiative, promoting the reduction of single-use packaging in the food service industry through outreach, business guidance, and financial incentives. Currently, the initiative remains in its early promotional stages, with food trucks emerging as early adopters.
Democratic lawmakers in the U.S. Congress introduced the Toxic-Free Food Packaging Act this week, aiming to ban chemicals including phthalates, PFAS, bisphenol A, and styrene polymers from food packaging and processing materials. The bill does not seek to replace state regulations and has received support from multiple environmental organizations.
EPR regulations are driving the packaging industry to re-examine the durability of product identification. Traditional tracking systems relying on barcodes, RFID, or BLE devices are prone to failure in harsh reuse environments, leading to broken traceability chains. Mono-material labeling technology integrates identification directly into the plastic substrate, eliminating adhesive layers and secondary films, achieving identification with the same lifespan as the packaging and providing a reliable foundation for EPR compliance.
The New York State Legislature is expected to adjourn this Friday, with a series of waste and recycling-related bills not prioritized for a vote, including the controversial packaging extended producer responsibility (EPR) bill, amendments to bottle bills, and measures to facilitate street sweeping and garbage collection.
At a webinar hosted by the Northeast Recycling Council (NERC) on Thursday, participating experts noted that effective recycling solutions for soft films and flexible plastics are as complex and multi-layered as the materials themselves. With California's SB 54 regulation requiring a 65% recycling rate for single-use plastic packaging by 2032, the industry faces unprecedented pressure. Experts discussed how pilot projects, data collection, MRF subsidies, and policy updates are shaping the soft film recycling landscape in the U.S., while emphasizing the need for greater coordination across all links of the supply chain.
Seven U.S. states have passed packaging extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws, and the first unified baseline data reporting deadline (May 31) has just passed. Compliance experts point out that the focus should shift from data submission to implementation and optimization, including packaging redesign, fee adjustments, and building long-term compliance systems.
California lawmakers advanced multiple packaging-related bills before a key Friday deadline, involving stricter requirements for recycled content claims and compost labeling. AB 2253 requires recycled content claims to be based on actual physical content, AB 1812 prohibits compost products containing plastic, and SB 1031 strengthens distinctions in compost labeling.
Emerald Packaging this month acquired the assets of the Blower-Dempsay plant in Santa Ana, California, marking the first acquisition in the family-owned company's 63-year history. CEO Kevin Kelly said in an interview that the expansion stems from growing demand, and the new plant will serve customers in Southern California as well as Arizona, Texas, and Mexico. Kelly also shared the company's latest thoughts on PCR material applications, SB 54 regulatory responses, sustainable packaging cost issues, and joining USFFI.
California's SB 54 requires producers to reduce plastic packaging material by 10%, 20%, and 25% by 2027, 2030, and 2032, respectively, with at least 10% of that reduction achieved through source reduction, meaning a shift to reusable or refillable packaging. The assessment report commissioned by CalRecycle from organizations such as Eunomia and Perpetual shows that closed-loop reuse systems are the most attractive in the short term, but transitioning to this model requires substantial investment, with cumulative investment estimated between $8 billion and $15 billion. A pilot project involving cup reuse at 30 businesses in Petaluma provides valuable practical data, while the role of recycling service providers like Recology in this effort remains open to discussion.