Circular Action Alliance Opens Public Comment Period for Responsible End Market (REM) Standards
Information webinar planned for Tuesday, May 12
Circular Action Alliance (CAA) is holding a public comment period through July 7 for responsible end market (REM) standards that the producer responsibility organization (PRO) has developed for extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws.
Interested parties are encouraged to review the draft REM standard and submit feedback through the online public comment form. CAA expects to publish a high‑level summary of key themes received during the consultation period.
To support participation, CAA will also host a public informational webinar on May 12 from 1:00–2:00 p.m. ET, introducing the draft standard, outlining key elements and explaining how to participate in the public comment process.
The draft is for a Certification Standard for Responsible Markets: For Recycling of Paper, Packaging, and Food Serviceware (REM standard). The certification standard is designed to support verification of REM requirements established under U.S. EPR laws for paper, packaging, and food serviceware.
“The REM Standard is intended to provide a consistent framework for verifying how recyclable materials are managed downstream of collection and sorting while maintaining appropriate protections for confidential business information,” CAA said in a news release. “As EPR laws are adopted across multiple states, the standard is designed to support greater alignment in how statutory requirements are implemented, rather than inconsistent state‑by‑state approaches.”
Shane Buckingham, CAA chief of staff, says states are increasingly relying on responsible end market requirements as part of their EPR laws.
“That reality demands credible, consistent tools to verify compliance,” he adds. “The REM standard is about supporting those statutory requirements with a clear framework that works across jurisdictions while also improving transparency and confidence in recycling outcomes.”
The REM Standard is being developed through a structured standards development process in collaboration with SCS Standards and Assurance Systems, an ANSI-accredited standard development organization with a focus on sustainability certification programs, CAA says. The process includes input from a Standard Development Committee representing regulators, environmental organizations, academic experts and industry organizations, as well as public comment and consideration of pilot audit results.
