Summary:

• The EU’s new packaging regulation takes effect on August 12, 2026.¹
• Washington state lawmakers are debating a bill to make packaging producers pay for recycling, promoting sustainability and relieving taxpayers of recycling costs.²
• Lee Zeldin appointed as the Administrator of the US EPA.

For any additional information requests, please contact Ron Puvak at rpuvak@contractpackaging.org. 

NEWS:

• On Wednesday Jan. 22, 2025, the EU’s new packaging regulation was published in the Official Journal of the European Union. Its official publication had been anticipated since late December, when the European Council formally adopted it, marking the final legislative step in a years-long process. The regulation technically enters into force 20 days after it’s published and will be applied 18 months later. The regulation spells out key dates and deadlines through 2040. Some of the relevant milestones this year for EU member states include:
• By July 12, 2025, EU member states must notify the European Commission of the names and addresses of the authorities they designate to implement and enforce obligations related to reuse targets.
• By Dec. 31, 2025, EU member states are to achieve a 65% recycling rate by weight of all packaging waste generated, with the following material-specific targets: 25% for wood; 50% for aluminum or plastic; 70% for ferrous metals or glass; and 75% for paper and cardboard. EU member states must submit information to the European Commission and European Chemicals Agency about any substances that negatively affect the reuse and recycling of materials in packaging. EU member states have the option to request using a base year other than the default year, 2018, for targets around reducing packaging waste generated per capita.
•  “With the legislative framework completed, the focus must now shift to implementation — a critical phase that will determine the regulation’s success. The upcoming secondary legislation must be precise in the way it defines obligations and consistency across related regulations,” European Secretary General Francesca Stevens said. “The packaging industry will play a vital role in this process.”
• Washington state lawmakers are considering a significant shift in recycling policy by introducing a proposal that would make packaging producers financially responsible for recycling their materials. Under the proposed EPR framework, companies that manufacture or import packaging would be required to fund and manage recycling programs for their materials. This could involve paying fees based on the volume and recyclability of the packaging they produce. The collected funds would be used to improve recycling infrastructure, enhance collection systems, and promote public education campaigns around waste management. Supporters of the EPR program argue that it would incentivize producers to design packaging that is easier to recycle or made from sustainable materials, ultimately reducing the environmental footprint of their products. Critics, however, caution that such measures could lead to increased costs for businesses and potentially higher prices for consumers. If the bill passes, by March 2029 producers who are not members of the Circular Action Alliance or registered with the state could not sell their products in Washington.
• Lee Zeldin, an attorney, politician and officer in the US Army Reserve was appointed as the 17th administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency on January 29, 2025. He represented New York’s 1st congressional district in the US House of Representatives from 2015 to 2023. “It is my honor to serve as the 17th Environmental Protection Agency Administrator. Under President Trump’s leadership, we will take great strides to defend every American’s access to clean air, clean water, and clean land. We will maintain and expand the gold standard of environmental stewardship and conservation that President Trump set forth in his first administration while also prioritizing economic prosperity. I look forward to working with the agency’s talented staff and scientists to deliver results for the American people. It’s time to get to work,” said Zeldin. On February 12, 2025, the new EPA administrator said that his team had located $20 billion that the Biden administration purposely wasted, at an “outside financial institution” that was not identified, and that his agency was in the process of reclaiming those funds.

Links:

• The countdown to the EU's new packaging regulation begins | Packaging Dive¹
• Washington Considers Law to Make Packaging Products Pay for..²