EPR Rules Reshape Packaging Converters’ Role
Packaging design increasingly tied to compliance
For converters — and the material suppliers that support them — EPR is extending compliance considerations further into the design process.
California’s SB 54 establishes an EPR program for packaging and single-use plastic food service ware. By 2032, plastic covered material must be reduced by 25% from the 2023 baseline, covered material must be recyclable or eligible to be labelled compostable, and plastic covered material must achieve a 65% recycling rate.
California’s regulations also provide for eco-modulated producer fees, creating a mechanism through which packaging characteristics and end-of-life performance can influence producer costs.
For converters, that increases the importance of understanding how substrates, labels, adhesives, inks and other packaging components may affect recyclability.