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The United States House of Representatives Congressman Randy Weber (Texas) introduced legislation titled:
The Packaging and Claims Knowledge Act of 2025 (“PACK Act”).
The PACK Act proposes to establish voluntary federal standards for environmental claims on packaging.
The rationale put forth for the legislation includes:
- Packaging plays a role in ensuring the quality of consumer goods and protecting the health and safety of citizens who consume, use, and handle such products.
- Misleading “green” labels that are stated to sometimes confuse consumers and undermine real recycling efforts.
- Varying state regulations have resulted in unverified claims like “recyclable,” “compostable,” and “reusable” to appear on packaging.
- The referenced confusion makes it more difficult for consumers to know what can actually be recycled and has weakened legitimate environmental initiatives.
The legislation would maintain the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) as the primary authority to regulate claims. However, it would add a new section to the Federal Trade Commission Act to create a harmonized national framework to prohibit unfair and deceptive claims. Further, the PACK Act requires the FTC to coordinate with the United States Environmental Protection Agency administering program.
Key elements of the Act would include:
- Mandatory third-party certification for consumer packaging.
- Focus on consumer packaging.
- State preemption.
A copy of the PACK Act can be found here.
