Christopher "Smitty" Smith, Partner at Saul Ewing, and a panel of three other attorneys, will discuss "Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging: Compliance with Multistate Producer Obligations - PRO Registration and Fees, Reporting, Contracts, and Enforcement Preparedness" during a CLE webinar on May 12, 2026, 10:00-11:30 a.m. PT.
Introduction
This CLE webinar will examine extended producer responsibility (EPR) for packaging in state markets that are increasingly imposing new producer regulations. The panel will examine who is the "producer" (brand owner, manufacturer, importer, distributor, and sometimes retailer), what materials are covered, and how to build a reliable compliance workflow across jurisdictions.
Description
Packaging EPR regulations exist as a patchwork, implemented state-by-state with differing definitions, timing, exemptions, reporting requirements, and fee structures. Seven states are frequently cited as packaging EPR jurisdictions (Maine, Oregon, California, Colorado, Minnesota, Maryland, Washington). Each has varied progress in implementing its program.
The panel will focus on producer determination and allocation, product and packaging data mapping, PRO enrollment and submissions, and strategies to manage data. The experts will examine how producer obligations can be reflected in supply chain contracts and how companies should prepare for enforcement, penalties, and reputational risk should registration or reporting be missed.
Listen as the panel navigates packaging EPR compliance across emerging state programs, anticipating regulatory change, and designing an approach that is defensible, scalable, and business aligned.
