Discover your next big idea at PACK EXPO Las Vegas
Experience a breakthrough in packaging & processing and transform your business with solutions from 2,300 suppliers spanning all industries. Click to learn more.

Maine to set precedent with extended producer responsibility law

Law will shift responsibility for hard-to-recycle products and packaging to “producers, consumers, and others who benefit from products sold and used.”

Maine_seal
Maine_seal

On March 25, Maine governor John Baldacci will sign into law the first U.S. extended producer responsibility (EPR) framework law (An Act to Provide Leadership Regarding the Responsible Recycling of Consumer Products, LD 1631). According to a news release from the state, businesses, environmental groups, and legislators came together to advance this practical approach to addressing the growing, expensive problem of managing consumer product waste. Maine’s new law will set a precedent for other states to adopt similar framework.

The law establishes a process for creating product stewardship programs for hard-to-recycle products and packaging, moving the physical and financial responsibility for managing old products from the general taxpayer to producers, consumers, and others who benefit from products sold and used.

The law, sponsored by Rep. Melissa Walsh Innes, applies the principle of producer responsibility for managing products when consumers are done with them, to reduce life-cycle impacts. Extended producer responsibility—also known as product stewardship—is a policy approach that is common in Europe, Canada, and other industrialized nations but is relatively new to the U.S.

In the U.S., 19 states now have laws for discarded electronic products that require producers to finance or manage collection and responsible recycling.

List: Digitalization Companies From PACK EXPO
Looking for CPG-focused digital transformation solutions? Download our editor-curated list from PACK EXPO featuring top companies offering warehouse management, ERP, digital twin, and MES software with supply chain visibility and analytics capabilities—all tailored specifically for CPG operations.
Download Now
List: Digitalization Companies From PACK EXPO
Annual Outlook Report: Workforce
Hiring remains a major challenge in packaging, with 78% struggling to fill unskilled roles and 84% lacking experienced workers. As automation grows, companies must rethink hiring and training. Download the full report for key insights.
Download Now
Annual Outlook Report: Workforce