2025 has been a busy year for extended producer responsibility (EPR) policy, especially for packaging and paper products. States have enacted new EPR programs and laws to assess the need for EPR. Existing programs have been...more
Extended Producer Responsibility Legislation, also known as EPR laws, is a policy-based approach that holds producers accountable for the entire lifecycle of their products, particularly for take-back, recycling, and final...more
Welcome to the June edition of Nutter’s Environment & Energy Insights, a periodic update of current trends in environment and energy law. In May 2025, Maryland and Washington became the latest states to join a growing trend...more
Minnesota is now the fifth state—joining Maine, Oregon, Colorado, and California—to pass what are called “extended producer responsibility” laws, in line with a growing trend across the country. In 2024, Minnesota enacted the...more
All Wrapped Up: Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging, April 2025 - All Wrapped Up is a newsletter that tracks and analyzes key developments in extended producer responsibility laws for packaging. It is a...more
Maryland and Washington have joined the growing cohort of US jurisdictions that require producers of packaging and paper products to finance – and ultimately improve – the systems for disposing of these “covered materials” in...more
Washington state has enacted E2SSB 5284 (the Act), which creates an extended producer responsibility (EPR) program for packaging and paper products that may apply to the item's manufacturer, brand licensee, brand owner,...more
All Wrapped Up is a newsletter that tracks and analyzes key developments in extended producer responsibility laws for packaging. It is a subscription-based resource for King & Spalding clients who sell or distribute just...more
On April 4, the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) published its final material characterization study report, starting the clock for compliance with Senate Bill No. 343 (SB 343), also...more
The 18-month clock is now ticking for businesses to comply with California’s Senate Bill (SB) 343, also known as the “Truth in Recycling” law, which addresses permissible recyclable claims. In 2021, California passed SB 343,...more
Four years after the nation’s first extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws set out approaches to making producers financially responsible for managing the disposal of plastics and packaging, 2025 will see...more
In the past month, both Maine and Massachusetts have taken steps to implement extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws and rules, with the intent of shifting the financial responsibility of managing packaging material from...more
Beginning in May of 2026, owners of brands selling packaged products and importers of foreign-produced packaged products sold in Maine will be required to adhere to Maine’s Stewardship Program for Packaging. Beginning six...more
California is a leader on plastics reduction, passing legislation regulating recyclability and sustainability claims, promoting the use of recycled materials, and preventing plastics pollution. In particular, two new laws...more
California signed into law last week a number of measures intended to address environmental concerns in consumer products and packaging, including a ban on use of the chasing arrows recycling symbol unless the product or...more
Last month, Maine signed the nation’s first packaging-based extended producer responsibility program into law, signaling a possible sea change in the way we handle recycling in the United States....more