5 predictions as US packaging EPR progresses

The last 18 months “feels sort of like 18 years,” said Circular Action Alliance’s CEO. Political, PRO and packaging leaders discussed where EPR is headed, including implications for data and design and how to measure success.

What happened

U.S. packaging stakeholders have learned a lot this past year since Oregon became the first state to begin implementing an extended producer responsibility for packaging law. Yet the industry is still very early in the journey, according to speakers at SPC Impact in Nashville, Tennessee, from April 22-23. These were some of their insights on the direction EPR is headed.

Regulations and performance demands may only get stricter

Why it matters

It’s time for some tough love. “Expect that packaging regulations will stay as strict as they are today — or get stricter,” according to the Sustainable Packaging Coalition’s 2026 trends report, which the group shared during the event.

Whereas voluntary commitments once drove the sustainable packaging landscape, the space has now “entered a new, non-optional, operational phase” that is “defined by performance — how packaging moves through collection, sortation, and reprocessing — rather than promises.”

“Plan for packaging fees to increase significantly, particularly for difficult-to-recycle materials, with real consequences for falling short,” the report continues. “Assume a sizable investment in recycling infrastructure will be needed, and that your company will be part of the group paying for it.”

This news brief is based on reporting published by Packaging Dive on 2026-05-01. The original report is linked below.