Brazil has recently seen significant updates to solid waste management regulations at the national level. These include new regulations which address: the qualification criteria of managing entities; the qualification...more
As environmental consciousness grows, so too do regulations aimed at promoting a more circular economy. Within the last few years, the United States has seen a significant increase in extended producer responsibility (EPR)...more
Recently there has been a significant increase in administrative enforcement proceedings, warning letters and motions to certify class actions in relation to the Processing of Packaging Law. The law, enacted back in 2011,...more
Key Takeaways - What Happened? On May 21, 2024, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed the Packaging Waste and Cost Reduction Act (the Act). Minnesota is the fifth state to enact laws implementing packaging EPR rules,...more
On July 1, 2024, CalRecycle published an updated list of covered material categories as required by California’s extended producer responsibility (EPR) law. SB 54 was signed into law by Governor Newsom in June 2022 and...more
Retailers with private label products, restaurants and consumer product manufacturers should consider whether they are subject to state extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws, and therefore should register with the...more
What is Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)? Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is an environmental policy enacted by several states, which extends a manufacturer’s responsibility for its product packaging...more
SB 343 was passed by the California Legislature and signed into law by Governor Newsom in 2021, and it was intended to limit deceptive or misleading claims about the recyclability of products and packaging. It sought to do so...more
The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) is about to come into force and will significantly change packaging laws across the EU. The aim of the legislation is to eliminate packaging waste by ensuring that all...more
What You Need To Know In A Minute Or Less - For both consumers and producers, the recent seismic shifts in packaging—from materials to circularity advertising—have been hard to miss. The past few years have introduced several...more
On March 31, Circular Action Alliance (“CAA”), the Producer Responsibility Organization (“PRO”) for California, Colorado, and the only contender for PRO in Oregon, submitted the first draft of its Program Plan (“the Plan”)...more
Recently, the Parliament and the Council, under the leadership of the Belgian Council Presidency, have been able to reach a provisional agreement on a final text for a new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation within a...more
After formulating an exciting new healthy food or beverage, the packaging it comes in may feel like an afterthought. It should not be. Food packaging has become an increasingly hot topic among federal and state regulators,...more
The Tennessee Waste Reduction and Recycling Act (“Act”) has been introduced into the Tennessee General Assembly which would require sellers, distributors, and importers of certain packaging materials to take actions to reduce...more
Producers who may qualify for an exemption under California’s extended producer responsibility (“EPR”) packaging law (“SB 54” or the “Act”) should consider reviewing CalRecycle’s recently released Proposed Draft Regulation...more
Tomorrow, February 1, the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) will host a hybrid question and answer session to discuss the draft rulemaking on their extended producer responsibility (EPR)...more
Within the last month, California has made significant strides toward its bid to create a circular economy for certain packaging and food service ware materials. On January 8, 2024, California's Department of Resources...more
At the end of 2023, the EU Parliament and the EU Council each adopted their positions on the EU Commission's proposal for a new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation. The Commission's proposal had already given rise to a...more
On 28 December 2023, CalRecycle published the results of the preliminary Material Characterization Study required under SB 343, codified as Cal. Pub. Res. Code § 42355.51. The preliminary findings identify the types of...more
Since July 2021, when Maine passed the nation's first extended producer responsiblity ("EPR") packaging law, four other states (Colorado, Oregon, California, and Maryland) have enacted EPR packaging laws. For brevity, we...more
The Circular Action Alliance (“CAA”), a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is expected to be selected as California’s new producer responsibility organization (“PRO”) under the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer...more
Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 54 on June 30, 2022, creating an extended producer responsibility (EPR) program and imposing some related prohibitions for certain single-use packaging and plastic single-use food service ware...more
The American Conference Institute is hosting its first West Coast Legal, Regulatory, and Compliance Forum on Cosmetics & Personal Care Products in Santa Monica on September 28-29, 2023! This conference comes just in time to...more
It is probably fair to say that SB 54 – California’s extended producer responsibility (EPR) law imposing source reduction and recycling requirements on single use packaging and plastic food service ware – is not only the...more
At the end of June, the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz, nukleare Sicherheit und Verbraucherschutz – “BMUV”)...more