March 22, 2023
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. EDT
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Rooted in the circular economy concept and the “polluter pays” principle, extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws have a long tradition in Europe for many product categories, including packaging. In the United States, EPR is much newer and is viewed as a funding mechanism to support recycling programs by shifting the responsibility to pay for these programs from municipal, public sources to private, product producer sources. Twenty states have adopted EPR legislation that applies to certain types of electronic waste, but until recently, no states extended these regulations to areas like plastics and packaging. In 2021, Maine became the first state in the United States to enact EPR legislation for packaging. Three more states have since passed EPR legislation for packaging and, judging by the numerous proposals pending in state legislatures, likely more states will follow. Businesses will need to monitor these initiatives carefully and understand the supply chain, cost, and business reputation implications of state legislative consideration and potential enactment of such legislative measures.
This webinar will explore the history and evolution of EPR legislation, expected developments that will affect the chemical and chemical product industry, and what companies need to know to prepare for these changes.
Topics Covered:
- The financial burden of waste management;
- Social drivers for waste management responsibility;
- EPR in the European Union (EU) and the United States; and
- Packaging EPR in the United States — enacted state legislation in
- Maine;
- Oregon;
- Colorado; and
- California.
Speakers Include:
LeRoy (Lee) C. Paddock is a Distinguished Professorial Lecturer of Environmental Law at the George Washington University Law School and a Visiting Scholar at the Environmental Law Institute, where he is Managing Director of the International Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement. He previously served as Associate Dean for Environmental Law Studies at the George Washington University Law School from 2007 to 2019 and was Director of Environmental Legal Studies at Pace University’s Haub School of Law from 2002 to 2007.
Edith G. Nagy, Regulatory Consultant, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), assists clients with environmental, health, and safety (EHS) compliance in the United States and internationally, with a focus on pesticides, biocides, and product stewardship. Prior to joining B&C, Ms. Nagy was a regulatory professional with an international EHS consultancy, assisting multinational Fortune 500 companies to forecast regulatory changes and prepare for regulatory audits by U.S. state and federal and EU member country agencies.
Lynn L. Bergeson, Managing Partner, B&C, counsels corporations, trade associations, and business consortia on a wide range of issues pertaining to chemical hazard, exposure and risk assessment, risk communication, minimizing legal liability, and evolving regulatory and policy matters pertinent to conventional, biobased, and nanoscale chemicals, particularly with respect to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), EU’s Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), and REACH-like programs, and U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) matters. Ms. Bergeson is Chair of the International Bar Association (IBA) Agriculture and Food Section, is Immediate Past President of the Product Stewardship Society (PSS), and is on the Executive Committee of the American College of Environmental Lawyers (ACOEL).