Product Stewardship Blog™

On October 8, 2026, the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) held an in-person meeting to continue its stakeholder engagement as it prepares its report to the legislature under House Joint Memorial (HJM) 3. HJM 3 requests the development of two reports. The first, prepared by the New Mexico Environmental Improvement Board (NMEIB), will be on the implementation of the Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Protection Act, “including the efficacy of the rules promulgated by the...

On October 1, 2026, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) announced the availability of two new draft Toxicological Profiles (ToxProfiles) for cadmium (Cd) and hexachlorocyclopentadiene (HCCPD). 91 Fed. Reg. 62518. ToxProfiles reflect ATSDR’s evaluations of the available literature on priority hazardous substances to provide important toxicological information to the public and health professionals. ATSDR has a statutory requirement under the Superfund Amendments and...

Last month, on September 15, 2026, reports on products containing intentionally added per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were due in Minnesota. According to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s (MPCA) October 13, 2026, Daily Digest Bulletin, “[i]nformation on about 23,500 products is currently published. This reflects about 16% of reports received as of Oct[ober] 13, 2026.” MPCA notes that manufacturers that submitted information should not be concerned if the submitted data...

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) announced on September 22, 2026, that it has confirmed that product manufacturers in certain key categories have largely transitioned to safer products. MPCA states that it purchases products to test for compliance with Minnesota’s prohibitions on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), lead, and cadmium from brick-and-mortar and online stores. In this round of testing, MPCA “looked at multiple categories of products subject to the early PFAS...

On September 27, 2026, California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed AB 2253, the Protecting Consumers Against Greenwashing Claims bill. This bill would strengthen California’s existing rules that seek to prohibit greenwashing through additional labeling requirements and would extend to products that do not currently fall under other state greenwashing protection laws. Any product making a claim about recycled content would be required to comply with the requirements of the bill. Governor Newsom, in...

On September 24, 2026, Representatives Scott Peters (D-CA) and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, M.D. (R-IA) introduced the Safer Choice Program Authorization Act (H.R. 10591), legislation to codify formally and strengthen the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Safer Choice Program. Peters’s September 25, 2026, press release states that the Safer Choice Program “gives producers a voluntary framework to evaluate the human health, environmental, and economic effects of the chemicals and...

Beginning July 1, 2026, Connecticut prohibits the manufacture, sale, and distribution of certain consumer products that contain intentionally added per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) unless the manufacturer provides prior notification to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and labels the specified products. The notification and labeling requirements apply only to apparel; carpets or rugs; cleaning products; cookware; cosmetic products; dental floss;...

As reported in our July 8, 2026, memorandum, on July 1, 2026, a coalition of industry associations filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico, challenging New Mexico’s May 5, 2026, final rule on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in consumer products. American Chemistry Council (ACC) v. Kenney (Case No. 1:26-cv-02130). The coalition argues that the final rule is unconstitutional and that its enforcement should be permanently enjoined. On September 16, 2026,...

In 2023, Vermont became the first state to enact an extended producer responsibility (EPR) program for household hazardous products (HHP). This EPR law, adopted as 10 V.S.A. § 7181 et seq., seeks to address rising costs that Vermont municipalities encounter while collecting and managing hazardous consumer waste as required under state law. The law and pending program plan cover discarded consumer hazardous products, such as aerosols, cleaning products, dyes, motor oil...

As we discussed in our recent podcast episode, manufacturers of products sold, offered for sale, or distributed for sale in Minnesota must submit a report by September 15, 2026, that includes information about each product or component that contains intentionally added per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The Minnesota legislature amended the statute in May 2026 to exclude products manufactured before July 1, 2023, from the reporting requirements. This date exemption applies to the...