This year, we saw legislatures act more cautiously with extended producer responsibility (EPR), pushing through needs-assessment legislation rather than full-blown EPR.
Read MoreState
2023 Shaping up to be Odd Year for State Packaging Laws
July/Aug 2023
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 More
Regulatory Activity Accelerates in Four EPR States
More States Expected to Adopt EPR Laws
May/June 2023
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 More
State Debates Will Challenge the Flexible Packaging Industry
March/April 2023
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 More2023 Activity in States Picks up Where 2021, 2022 Left off
Jan/Feb 2023
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 More
2022 Wraps Up With California Passing EPR for Packaging
Nov/Dec 2022
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 More
2022 Sets New EPR Precedents
Sept/Oct 2022
Despite waning energy earlier in the year, a late surge in interest in packaging extended producer responsibility (EPR) produced two new EPR laws.
Read MorePackaging EPR Bills Falter, Challenging Policies Remain in Play
July/Aug 2022
Several states are considering proposals that are “simpler solutions” to address packaging in the waste stream. Those concerns continue to be driven by concern over plastic pollution.
Read More
More States Ponder Packaging Policies
May/June 2022
This year, more states are debating packaging issues. These debates, at times, are taking contrasting views over the role of producers in recycling systems and how requirements are developed.
Read More
2022 State Legislative Sessions Heat Up Early
March/April 2022
This year will likely prove to be another significant and precedent-setting year with the addition of several new state laws that will govern how packaging is made and managed at the end of life.
Read More2022 State Legislative Discussions Speed Up
Jan/Feb 2022
State legislators introduced multiple bills in 2021, and some of those measures resulted in several new laws impacting packaging.
Read More
Expect Busy 2022 State Legislative Docket
EPR, labeling, and recycling at the fore
Nov/Dec 2021
If 2021 was a landmark year in terms of new packaging policy at the state level, 2022 likely will prove to be another precedent-setting year with the addition of several new state laws. Active conversations in at least a half dozen states indicate that the interest in new packaging policy has not waned and may be even larger.
Read MoreMaine and Oregon Pass First U.S. EPR Laws
Sept/Oct 2021
2021 will go down as a landmark year in terms of new packaging policy at the state level. Maine and Oregon’s legislatures have now officially passed extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws for packaging sold or distributed in their states.
Read MoreState Legislative Agendas Narrow
Packaging Policies Debated Through Spring Sessions
July/Aug 2021
The 2021 state legislative sessions have focused on key policies that will squarely impact the flexible packing industry, namely post-consumer recycling (PCR) for certain packages, recyclability labeling, and extended producer responsibility (EPR).
Read More2021 Off to a Fast Start
States Debating EPR, Recycled Content, and Labeling Bills
May/June 2021
2021 began with a rush in many states to consider policies that will squarely impact the flexible packing industry.
Read More
State Elections Set Up a Busy 2021
This Could Be Watershed Year for EPR, Other Bills
March/April 2021
State elections were hotly contested in 2020, and they were of equal importance to federal elections due to the census and redistricting in 2021 and 2022. Despite the millions of dollars poured into state campaigns, it was largely a status quo election. Only the New Hampshire House and Senate switched party control from Democrat to […]
Read More
2021 Framed by Fall Elections
State and Local Governments Will Be Picking Up Packaging Issues
Jan/Feb 2021
Last year, elections at the state level had an outsized importance similar to elections at the federal level. A major driver was the 2020 census and the redistricting that will happen starting next year for Congressional and state legislative districts. State legislatures generally oversee that process, so an incredible amount of money and attention was […]
Read More
Despite Setbacks, State Governments Continue Work Into Winter
Budget Deficits Create Intense Pressure
Nov/Dec 2020
As state legislatures have entered the fall election season, 2020 will once again prove to be an exception—many states continue to convene sporadically to address urgent budget and policy issues.
Read MoreState Legislatures Rebound During Summer
Sept/Oct 2020
As the summer began, a majority of states had gone back into action following COVID-19 shutdowns. Many of the actions and regulatory proceedings will have a direct impact on flexible packaging for many years to come. New Jersey S2515 was introduced in New Jersey on June 4. It would establish new recycled-content standards for rigid […]
Read More