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Navigating U.S. Packaging EPR
How to Stay EPR Compliant and Control Costs
U.S. packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is moving fast, and the risk of getting it wrong is rising just as quickly. With no national framework, producers must navigate state-by-state laws, evolving definitions, reporting deadlines, and escalating fees, often with limited internal visibility into their packaging data.
This deck is designed to help brand owners, importers, and distributors move from high-level awareness to audit-ready compliance and cost control, with a specific focus on California SB 54 and other advanced EPR states in the US.
You’ll gain clarity on:
This deck is designed to help brand owners, importers, and distributors move from high-level awareness to audit-ready compliance and cost control, with a specific focus on California SB 54 and other advanced EPR states in the US.
You’ll gain clarity on:
- How U.S. packaging EPR actually works, and why compliance complexity compounds over time
- Who is legally responsible for EPR reporting and fees under producer hierarchy rules
- Where and when EPR obligations apply across key U.S. states
- Why California SB 54 represents a structural shift, not just another reporting requirement
- How business growth can increase your effective source-reduction burden well beyond 25%
- Why manual, spreadsheet-based compliance breaks as EPR scales
- What a scalable EPR compliance roadmap looks like in practice
This is not a policy overview. It’s a practical briefing on how EPR impacts operations, finance, packaging decisions, and long-term cost exposure.
Why download this EPR deck
If you’re responsible for packaging, sustainability, compliance, or finance, this deck helps you answer three critical questions:
- Why download this EPR deckSee how EPR requirements differ by state, how deadlines are stacking up, and where enforcement and penalties are increasing.
- How big is the real cost and risk exposure?Understand how EPR fees, malus charges, and source-reduction requirements can compound over time, especially under California SB 54.
- How do we move from one-off reporting to something scalable?Get a clear framework for building packaging data systems, setting reduction pathways, and aligning teams to meet EPR requirements year after year.
The deck includes visual timelines, regulatory summaries, compliance pathways, and real-world implications that are difficult to absorb in real time during a webinar, and easy to share internally with legal, finance, and packaging teams.
Frequently Asked Questions: U.S. Packaging EPR
What is packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)?
Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a regulatory framework that requires producers of packaged goods to finance and manage the end-of-life impacts of their packaging. In the United States, EPR laws are enacted at the state level, with requirements that vary by jurisdiction, material type, and packaging format.
Does packaging EPR apply to my company?
If your company sells packaged products into states with EPR legislation, you may be obligated to register with a Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO), report packaging data, and pay EPR fees. Responsibility is determined by producer hierarchy rules, which differ by state and can shift liability between brand owners, licensees, importers, and distributors.
Which U.S. states currently require packaging EPR compliance?
Several U.S. states have enacted packaging EPR laws, including California, Colorado, Oregon, Maine, Minnesota, Maryland, and Washington. Each state has its own timelines, exemptions, reporting requirements, and enforcement mechanisms, creating significant complexity for companies operating nationally.
Why is California SB 54 considered different from other EPR laws?
California’s SB 54 goes beyond traditional EPR by introducing mandatory plastic source-reduction targets, recycled content requirements, and recyclability standards. Producers must demonstrate progress through annual reporting and verification, with penalties for non-compliance that can escalate quickly over time.
What are the risks of getting EPR compliance wrong?
Companies that fail to comply with EPR requirements may face daily fines, interest on unpaid fees, enforcement actions, restrictions on product sales, and reputational risk with retailers, investors, and consumers. In some states, non-compliance can also trigger direct regulatory scrutiny.
Why is spreadsheet-based EPR reporting risky?
Manual, spreadsheet-driven compliance processes are difficult to audit, hard to scale, and prone to errors, especially as EPR expands across states and reporting requirements become more granular.
How can companies control long-term EPR costs?
Long-term cost control typically requires early investment in accurate packaging data, clear reduction pathways, and scalable compliance systems. Companies that delay action often face compounding fees, penalties, and higher remediation costs later.
Is this deck relevant if we’re already reporting EPR data in the U.S.?
Yes. Many companies that are technically “compliant” still lack visibility into future obligations, cost exposure, and source-reduction requirements. The deck is designed to help teams move from reactive reporting to proactive, strategic EPR management.
Still unsure how this applies to your business? The deck walks through real-world implications and compliance pathways in detail.
