Packaging EPR Compliance Readiness

California, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, and Oregon have all enacted Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging laws. Companies that sell packaged goods in these states will be required to register with and report to a Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) beginning as soon as January 2025.

Companies that produce products obligated under these laws, including retailers with private label brands, are beginning now to prepare for compliance. To report to the PRO, companies will need a fulsome understanding of their packaging data, and have a process and system in place for making decisions about their packaging portfolio and reporting to the PRO. It may be favorable to change certain packaging formats or materials in order to reduce fees. Such decisions are a cross-department decision matrix and will require time. Further, history shows that in Europe and Canada, companies routinely over-report how much packaging they sell to ensure compliance. They do this because they are not confident in their data. While this may ensure compliance, it leaves significant money on the table and is not necessary if companies properly prepare. Before you get into compliance, do you need a primer first to learn more about EPR? Download our EPR glossary.