Topics
Extended Producer Responsibility
September 30, 2026
Extended producer responsibility (EPR) guidelines obligate manufacturers, importers, and brand owners to finance and organize collection and recycling; rules cover rigid and flexible plastic packaging, expanded polystyrene, and single-use plastics; collection target starts at 15%, recycling at 7.5%, rising to 30% and 15%, respectively
Reading time: 3 minutes
September 17, 2026
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) manual provides Member States with framework for developing plastic packaging and labeling standards; initiative seeks greater regional harmonization; also releases regional guidebook on phasing out single-use plastics; other harmonization tools under development in 2026
Reading time: 3 minutes
September 15, 2026
Environmental authorities issue 155 show-cause letters to companies over potential non-compliance with extended producer responsibility (EPR) requirements; plastic packaging recovery target rises to 60% in 2026; Philippine rules allow recycling, co-processing, waste-to-energy, and other forms of diversion to count toward targets
Reading time: 2 minutes
August 27, 2026
Centre for Science and Environment publishes report comparing plastic waste management costs with Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) payments in India; finds significant financing gaps for flexible and multilayer plastic packaging, particularly in remote regions; criticizes 2024 changes to multilayer plastic classification under India's Plastic Waste Management Rules
Reading time: 3 minutes
July 11, 2025
About one third of US states have taken regulatory action pertaining to food contact chemicals, materials, and/or articles in 2025; predominantly (i) phase-outs of PFAS in packaging and cookware, (ii) bans on polystyrene foam and other single-use food-service plastics, and (iii) extended-producer-responsibility (EPR) bills covering packaging
Reading time: 9 minutes
May 17, 2023
Manila Times editorial raises concerns about waste management in the Philippines and calls for policy discussions; discusses the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, the Philippine Action Plan for Sustainable Consumption and Production, and the Extended Producer Responsibility Act; single-use plastics bill HB 507 stalling in the Philippine House of Representatives
Reading time: 2 minutes
August 2, 2022
Greenpeace and Everyday Plastic publish results from voluntary plastic waste audit of nearly 100,000 UK homes; finds UK households throw away nearly 100 billion pieces of plastic a year, 83% of which is from food and drinks; waste organizations within the country ask for stronger policies and more clarity on existing goals
Reading time: 3 minutes
July 5, 2022
Plastic pollution prevention and packaging producer responsibility act requires all packaging in California be recyclable or compostable by 2032; plastic packaging production be reduced by 25%, and 65% of packaging be recycled after use
Reading time: 2 minutes
April 14, 2022
New Spanish waste law includes extensive waste reduction measures and targets across the entire supply chain; bans bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates in food packaging; mandates food providers offer tap water for free and accept reusable containers if customers bring them; 20% of floor space in large grocery stores must be for food without packaging; establishes extended producer responsibility scheme and bottle-to-bottle recycling program
Reading time: 3 minutes
February 1, 2022
Malaysia proposes revision of allowable uses for eleven chemicals, including seven used in food contact material (FCM) applications; Vietnam’s revised Law on Environmental Protection comes into effect, launches nationwide extended producer responsibility scheme for domestic producers and importers; Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives publishes report that chemical recycling plant in Indonesia, launched by Unilever in 2017, was “secretly shuttered” after two years; Sri Lanka proposes plastic pellets be classified as dangerous goods during maritime shipping
Reading time: 4 minutes
