Plastics and Policy: Microplastics, EPR, and Other Emerging Trends, October 6, 2026, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (EDT), via webinar
Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) is pleased to present “Plastics and Policy: Microplastics, EPR, and Other Emerging Trends,” a complimentary webinar providing regulatory professionals with the latest updates on emerging microplastics and recycling legal and regulatory issues.
U.S. federal and state lawmakers have advanced multiple initiatives related to microplastics focused on health research, exposure assessment, and regulatory frameworks, including increased funding for research, marine debris monitoring programs, and product bans. B&C professionals monitor extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs domestically and globally, including recent federal and state legal challenges to Oregon’s packaging EPR program, and other legal and regulatory changes to the commercial landscape. This monitoring indicates that plastics are receiving an ever-increasing amount of public and political scrutiny that drives lawmakers to take impactful regulatory action that is sometimes ahead of scientific knowledge on hazard, exposure, and risk throughout a plastic product’s lifecycle. As the regulatory landscape changes, entities throughout the plastics value stream are subject to challenges such as novel obligations and fast-evolving compliance requirements, but also opportunities to demonstrate a competitive advantage through product stewardship.
During this webinar, Lindsay A. Holden, Ph.D., DABT, Senior Toxicologist/Regulatory Scientist, B&C, and B&C Associates L. Claire Hansen and Catherina D. Narigon will discuss how emerging microplastics, EPR, and recycling laws, such as California’s “Truth in Recycling” law and the European Union (EU) Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), affect plastic products and packaging stakeholders, how recent initiatives and legal challenges may affect the commercial landscape, and what stakeholders can do now to minimize legal, regulatory, and commercial risk. Speakers will also provide a comparison of U.S. plastics and microplastics regulation with the EU regulatory framework.
Topics Covered:
- Background
- International and domestic definitions of microplastics
- Hazard and exposure concerns driving regulatory activities
- The challenges of establishing functional regulations
- U.S. Regulatory Issues
- Existing and upcoming labeling and EPR initiatives
- State regulatory frameworks
- Overview of litigation issues
- EU Regulatory Issues
- Microplastics and the EU strategic plan
- PPWR
- Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/2055 — Restriction of microplastics intentionally added to products (commonly referred to as the EU Microplastics Regulation)
- Strategies for Commercial Success
- Due diligence and regulatory tracking
- Proactive engagement with stakeholders
Speakers:
Lindsay A. Holden, Ph.D., DABT, Senior Toxicologist/Regulatory Scientist, B&C, has extensive experience in molecular mechanisms of exposure across a wide range of chemicals and materials. As a toxicologist with the U.S. Department of Defense, she conducted numerous human health and environmental hazard and risk assessments in occupational, hazardous waste, and military base settings; led teams of researchers conducting basic and early-stage medical research and development; and advocated for national security requirements through interagency engagement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Dr. Holden is a powerful and experienced advocate for clients engaged with EPA on Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) risk assessments and risk management rules and is well-suited to assist clients in preparing, analyzing, and interpreting environmental, toxicity, and public health data to support regulatory compliance and sustained commercial success.
L. Claire Hansen, Associate, B&C, delivers accurate and efficient research and analysis support for domestic and international legal and regulatory issues, including those pertaining to TSCA, the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), and the EU Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) policy matters.
Catherina D. Narigon, Associate, B&C, assists clients with matters under TSCA, the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), the Clean Water Act (CWA), and other state and federal regulatory statutes. Ms. Narigon is deeply engaged in client advocacy related to EPR policies and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) regulation. Prior to joining B&C, Ms. Narigon served as Associate General Counsel with the State of Vermont, Agency of Natural Resources (ANR), Drinking Water & Groundwater Protection Division.
Lynn L. Bergeson, Managing Partner, B&C, has earned an international reputation for her deep and expansive understanding of FIFRA, TSCA, the EU REACH regulation, the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA), and especially how these regulatory programs pertain to nanotechnology, industrial biotechnology, synthetic biology, and other emerging transformative technologies. Ms. Bergeson’s peerless mastery of the complex interplay between chemical innovation, regulatory oversight, policy making, and product commercialization, and her decades of experience as an entrepreneur and business owner, allow her to develop client-focused and business-sensitive strategies, whether advocating before EPA, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. state regulatory agencies, or other governance and standard-setting bodies.