Time to Get Prepared - Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Laws for Packaging in the U.S. Are Ramping Up
by Cheryl Baldwin, PH.D.
04 June 2024
Five U.S. states have passed laws on EPR for packaging – including California, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, and Oregon, with more on the way. Oregon will be the first law to begin in 2025. These laws are broad in their coverage, more than bottles, and expect companies to report packaging data and transition to more sustainable packaging.
What does this mean for companies?
To comply with EPR laws, businesses will need to learn more about the packaging they use, provide data about it, and pay applicable fees through EPR programs.
The mandatory data is expected to vary from state to state, but may include the types of packaging used and applicable weights/counts, amounts of recycled content, and information on whether the package is reusable/recyclable or compostable. Fees are expected to vary based on the level of alignment with the EPR program aims (e.g., higher fees if a package is not reusable, recyclable, or compostable).
Sign up with PRO by July 1
The Circular Action Alliance (CAA) is encouraging companies to sign up with them now, before July 1. CAA is the dominant U.S. PRO (product responsibility program), which will help administer many of these EPR laws and registration will be required once the laws are implemented. CAA will be providing educational resources and other engagement opportunities during the lead-up to the implementation of the laws.
According to CAA, "Any company that expects to be considered a covered producer under California, Colorado, and/or Oregon’s paper and packaging EPR laws, and which is not otherwise exempt from registration under those laws, must complete the Covered Producer Registration form as the first step in the producer registration process with CAA by July 1, 2024."
Recommended next steps: Producers will be required to provide data to the PRO for the first EPR law, Oregon, by March 2025. So, now is the time to prepare to comply with the laws – Pure Strategies can help your company proactively manage this! From collecting the needed data to advancing to more sustainable packaging, our team can help your company prepare for EPR while connecting this to your company’s other sustainability priorities. Typical projects include a packaging inventory/baseline and data management approach, a sustainable packaging strategy that outlines goals and a roadmap for making progress, and guidance and training to advance to more sustainable packaging.
Contact Pure Strategies today!
Written by Cheryl Baldwin, PH.D.
Cheryl Baldwin, Ph.D., is a Vice President of Sustainability Consulting for Pure Strategies where she partners with corporate clients to develop and execute sustainability strategies to improve performance across retail, food and agriculture, home and personal care, and cosmetics industries. She also leads the firms’ global market research to generate new insights to accelerate business transformation.
Cheryl’s recent projects include helping develop sustainability goals for TAZO, create a sustainable packaging strategy and implementation tools for Walmart, and facilitate the development and implementation of a sustainable chemistry program for Ahold Delhaize USA.
Cheryl authored Pure Strategies’ market research reports: Planet-Forward Strategies, Connecting to the Farm, Reaching the New Corporate Frontier, Advancing on the Path to Product Sustainability, and other reports. She wrote the book, The 10 Principles of Food Industry Sustainability and is the lead author/editor for two additional books on sustainability, Greening Food and Beverage Services and Sustainability in the Food Industry and holds U.S. and international patents.
Prior to Pure Strategies, Cheryl led the life cycle research and sustainability standard program for the non-profit ecolabel organization Green Seal. Cheryl also worked in Research and Development for Kraft Foods, Inc. where she was involved in all phases of R&D from novel ingredient development to global product commercialization. Cheryl holds a Ph.D. and M.S. from Cornell University and a B.S. from the University of Illinois, all in Food Science.
Cheryl has been named one of the Top 50 Women Leaders of DC for the second consecutive year, based on a methodical review of women executives and leaders across the area. She was identified for her career track record, including her leadership position at Pure Strategies. The recognition came from Women We Admire (WWA), a membership organization of over 1,200 of the most accomplished women leaders in business, law, consulting, education, non-profit and other sectors. based on a methodical review of women executives and leaders across the area. She was identified for her career track record, including her leadership position at Pure Strategies. The recognition came from Women We Admire (WWA), a membership organization of over 1,200 of the most accomplished women leaders in business, law, consulting, education, non-profit and other sectors.
