Among the issues are recycling, plastic pollutions, and extended producer responsibility.
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Federal and State Advocacy Initiatives
States Begin EPR Needs Assessments
These assessments of state recycling systems will remain crucial in determining ultimately what the cost will be to producers.
Read More2024 Will Not Be a Quiet Year in Washington
While it is unlikely many pieces of consequential legislation will make it to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature, we do anticipate a lot of legislative activity where FPA will advocate on behalf of the flexible packaging industry.
Read MoreCalifornia Intensifies Efforts for New Packaging Legislation
In 2024 in California, we will see the formal regulations for the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act and new packaging legislation.
Read MoreChallenging Legislative Year Coming to a Close
As the first session of the 118th U.S. Congress comes to a close, the legislative year ended with few major accomplishments.
Read MoreEPR Programs Evolve During 2023
Four states have passed extended producer responsibility bills for packaging. Each program is structured differently, which can create confusion.
Read More118th Congress Confronts Tech Issues
As manufacturing floors become more integrated and companies increase investments in technology, technology oversight has become an increasing area of interest.
Read MoreNo New EPR Laws for 2023—So Far
This year, we saw legislatures act more cautiously with extended producer responsibility (EPR), pushing through needs-assessment legislation rather than full-blown EPR.
Read MoreWorkforce Issues Capture Attention in Washington
The U.S. workforce is still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and widespread shifts to remote- and hybrid-work models, which does not work well for manufacturing jobs that require skilled, hands-on engagement.
Read More2023 Shaping up to be Odd Year for State Packaging Laws
The year 2023 has proven to be a challenging one for keeping up with state legislative activity in the flexible packaging industry. At the year’s midpoint, it remains to be seen if new standards will be set.
Read MoreGridlock Marks Start of 2023 on Capitol Hill
FPA Continues to Monitor Congress and Biden Administration
The situation in Washington, D.C., as we enter late spring and early summer is pretty much what was anticipated—a Congress that has accomplished little of meaningful substance to date.
Read MoreRegulatory Activity Accelerates in Four EPR States
More States Expected to Adopt EPR Laws
The year 2023 is an incredibly active one for extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws, which are now being implemented in the four states that passed EPR laws for packaging—so far. Over the past two years, the initial EPR initiatives passed into law are as follows: Maine’s Legislative Document 1541 in 2021 Oregon’s Senate Bill (SB) […]
Read MoreFPA Continues to Fight Against Unfair Aluminum Tariffs
Deadline for Final Findings Is Extended to July
The Flexible Packaging Association developed and launched a broad-based outreach campaign to engage members of Capitol Hill and sound the alarm that the flexible packaging industry was once again being unfairly targeted with unwarranted trade actions on aluminum foil.
Read MoreState Debates Will Challenge the Flexible Packaging Industry
The year 2023 will be another precedent-setting one in terms of how much legislation will be introduced, but it is also a long year following the 2022 elections where Democrats had some notable gains at the state level.
Read MoreNew Congress, Biden Second Term Kick Off 2023
With the midterm elections behind us, 2023 kicks off the 118th Congress and marks the second half of President Joe Biden’s first term. As the past several years have taught us, we know we need to expect the unexpected.
Read More2023 Activity in States Picks up Where 2021, 2022 Left off
The years 2021 and 2022 were unprecedented with groundbreaking new laws in the packaging sector. Four states adopted new extended producer responsibility laws, two states adopted new recycled content mandates for various types of packaging, and California adopted a first-in-the-nation recycling labeling law. The year 2023 will also likely prove to be significant and precedent setting for packaging policy.
Read MoreHere Is a Look at Potential Impacts of the Elections
Election Day on November 8 has been a date circled on the calendar for what feels like forever. From the first day of the 117th Congress on January 3, 2021, it seemed the race for the midterm elections had kicked off. Democrats focused their messaging on how to hold majority control of Congress and Republicans on how to regain leadership control. And now, here we are, with the elections upon us and at the time for assessing the impact of and planning for the next Congress.
Read More2022 Wraps Up With California Passing EPR for Packaging
The year 2022 was significant and precedent-setting for the flexible packaging industry, with the addition of new state laws that will govern how packaging is made and managed at the end of life. Numerous states debated packaging issues, with two passing and signing extended producer responsibility bills for packaging. Many more states are addressing issues like recycled content mandates, labeling, and toxic chemicals in packaging.
Read MoreManufacturing Month Creates Opportunities to Focus on Workforce Issues
Even before the pandemic, a workforce shortage was brewing nationwide. The shortage is particularly impactful in the manufacturing sector, as appropriately skilled workers were becoming harder to find.
Read More2022 Sets New EPR Precedents
Despite waning energy earlier in the year, a late surge in interest in packaging extended producer responsibility (EPR) produced two new EPR laws.
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