First effective in 2024, the Act bans the sale or distribution of various products that contain intentionally added PFAS chemicals. On January 1, 2026, as part of the product phase-out timeline, the new law bans the sale or...more
The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2025/40), the European Union’s new regulation concerning the packaging of products placed on the European market (PPWR), came into force on 11 February 2025....more
Key Takeaways - - Effective January 1, 2026, products must meet far more stringent requirements to be labeled as "compostable" or "home compostable." - Most packaging currently labeled as compostable is not compliant with...more
A lot is going on in the extended producer responsibility (“EPR”) packaging world this month. Maryland and Washington became the sixth and seventh states respectively to enact EPR packaging laws. And this week, just a...more
With Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) packaging laws rapidly expanding across the U.S. and globally – producers, retailers, and sustainability leaders are facing unprecedented pressure to prepare for a new wave of...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
Two significant developments have recently emerged concerning California’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) law, SB 54, which aims to phase out single-use plastics. The landmark law for packaging and plastic food...more
Our Environment, Land Use & Natural Resources and Food & Beverage Groups examine the growing industry compliance impact of states’ extended producer employer production responsibility (EPR) laws....more
In an important development for the sustainability movement, Oregon and Colorado are implementing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws that shift the responsibility for managing packaging waste to the manufacturer. The...more
On December 2, 2024, California's Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (“CalRecycle”) released proposed regulations for California’s extended producer responsibility (“EPR”) packaging and food service ware program –...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
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
Plastic packaging and food ware are some of the first targets of California’s ambitious and far-reaching program to achieve a “Circular Economy” that reduces waste and pollution. The California Department of Resources,...more
We are pleased to share our Q3 Food & Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) Legal Trends report. This report is a bite-size version of our annual year in review, providing timely insights on legal trends in the space. In Q4 of...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
Companies who may qualify as “producers” under the EPR packaging programs adopted by California, Oregon, and Colorado should plan for sufficient lead time to evaluate their status as a producer before applicable requirements...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
Right out of the gate in 2024, we’ve seen several states further regulate the sale of PFAS-containing products. On Jan. 1, a Connecticut statute took effect prohibiting the sale or promotion of any “food package to which PFAS...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
New York may be on board to be the fifth state in the nation to hold producers responsible for packaging products. Thus far, Maine, Oregon, Colorado, and California have enacted extended producer-responsibility laws....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