US PACK Act: Ameripen lobbies for federal packaging standards

The US packaging industry association, Ameripen, has urged sector stakeholders to lobby Congress in support of the Packaging Agreement and Consensus Promotion (PACK) Act. The proposed legislation aims to establish a unified federal framework for packaging environmental claims, addressing the growing patchwork of state-level regulations across the United States.

Currently, US states are independently enacting diverse and often conflicting rules regarding what can be labelled as "recyclable," "compostable," or containing "recycled content." For instance, California’s strict SB 343 law heavily restricts the use of the chasing-arrows symbol. Ameripen argues that a single national standard is essential to prevent consumer confusion, reduce administrative burdens for manufacturers, and support the transition toward a circular economy.

For UK packaging converters and Turkish recyclers exporting materials or finished packaging to the North American market, this legislative push is highly significant. Navigating a fragmented regulatory landscape in the US increases compliance costs and complicates product design. A standardised federal definition for recycled content and recyclability would provide much-needed clarity, allowing UK and Turkish exporters to streamline their product lines and confidently meet US environmental criteria without managing state-by-state variations. Furthermore, as global supply chains face mounting pressure to verify PCR (post-consumer recycled) content, US standardisation could influence international benchmarks for polymer traceability.

The practical takeaway for UK and Turkish exporters is to closely monitor the progress of the PACK Act alongside state-level developments. Businesses should ensure their compliance tracking systems are flexible enough to adapt to evolving US labelling requirements, particularly regarding the verification of recycled polymer content in exported packaging.

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Reported by Recycling Today — original article