On September 16, 2022, Governor Newsom signed AB 2440 and SB 1215, overhauling California's existing battery extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes and expanding the state’s e-waste program. AB 2440, the Responsible...more
On Wednesday, September 21, 2022, the U.S. Senate gave its advice and consent to the ratification of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer by a bipartisan vote of 69-27. The...more
At the end of August 2022, the California Legislature passed AB 2440 and SB 1215, overhauling the state’s existing battery extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes and expanding the state’s e-waste program. AB 2440, the...more
The state of Washington has become a global player in product regulation. This month, the Department of Ecology issued a determination to restrict or require reporting on the use of five classes of chemicals in products. In...more
On May 24, 2022, China State Council issued an Action Plan on New Pollutants Governance (“Plan”) to set out a regulatory roadmap to control new chemicals and outline an enhanced enforcement framework for compliance. The Plan...more
Background -
The European Commission (EC) is undertaking an aggressive overhaul and expansion of the Ecodesign Directive to allow for the future regulation of the environmental sustainability of a wider range of products...more
Today, the United Nations Environment Assembly adopted a broad negotiating mandate for a new legally binding international agreement on plastic pollution. Inger Andersen, the Executive Director of the United Nations...more
On December 31, 2021, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a new law that imposes obligations on manufactures of consumer “electronic displays,” upholstered furniture, and mattresses. Beginning January 2024, any new products...more
Following up on the short-term extension that it issued in September, EPA has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that will further extend the compliance deadline for the processing and distribution in commerce of certain...more
October 26, 2021 Update:
Following up on the short-term extension that it issued in September, EPA has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that will further extend the compliance deadline for the processing and...more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a final rule on October 5, 2021 establishing an allowance allocation and trading program for hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). The rule implements certain key requirements...more
On October 5, 2021, California’s Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill 343 (SB 343) prohibiting the use of the chasing arrows symbol on non-recyclable products and packaging. Under the new law, a product or packaging that...more
What is happening? Connecticut has joined several other states in imposing plastic recycling mandates on manufacturers. These laws seek to improve the market for recyclables by establishing recycled content minimums for...more
On May 3, 2021, EPA announced its first major climate change rule under the Biden Administration, proposing to phase down the manufacture and import of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are potent greenhouse gases. EPA...more
Key Takeaways What Is Happening? On April 21, 2021, the Washington State legislature passed a sweeping new minimum recycled content bill, SB5022, which creates recycled content minimums for some plastic products sold in...more
Parties to the Basel Convention are considering legally binding amendments to the Convention that would dramatically expand controls and trade bans governing international shipments of used products managed for reuse and...more
On January 1, 2021, new Basel Convention controls on international shipments of non-hazardous plastic waste will go into effect in countries around the world. As Parties to the Convention implement their obligations,...more
On December 3, 2020, Science published a peer-reviewed scientific study linking 6PPD, a common rubber antioxidant chemical found in tire preservatives, to coho salmon mortality in the Pacific Northwest. The New York Times,...more
On September 14, the European Commission (Commission) released the roadmap for its Sustainable Products Initiative (Initiative) – an ambitious new vision for legislative reform that will establish minimum sustainability and...more
On April 29, 2020, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) released the Measures of Environmental Management and Registration of New Chemical Substances (“MEE Order 12”) – a revision of Measures of Environmental...more
Participants in the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) now have increased certainty over eligible carbon offsets. At its March 2020 Council meeting, the International Civil Aviation...more
The European Commission (EC) has adopted a new set of eco-design requirements for ten categories of energy-consuming products, including refrigerators, washing machines, and televisions pursuant to the Ecodesign Directive...more
Beginning in December 2019, the Ban Amendment to the Basel Convention will prohibit shipments of hazardous waste from OECD countries to non-OECD countries for disposal or recovery. While the Ban Amendment was originally...more
Following California’s lead, Washington State has revived, at the state level, federal limits on greenhouse gases known as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and is contemplating additional restrictions in the future. HFCs are...more
The European Union has finalized an expansion of phthalate restrictions under REACH, with most new restrictions to be phased in effective July 7, 2020. Diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP) will be restricted in the plasticized...more