Dive Brief:
- Circular Action Alliance will serve as the initial producer responsibility organization for Minnesota’s Packaging Waste and Cost Reduction Act, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency announced Tuesday.
- Minnesota passed the extended producer responsibility for packaging law in 2024. Producers must register in Minnesota by July 1.
- In confirming CAA, MPCA further cements the industry-founded, nonprofit producer responsibility organization’s reach. Colorado and California also selected CAA for their packaging EPR programs.
Dive Insight:
Minnesota’s law focuses on the packaging put on the market and the systems that manage it. The goal is that by 2032, all packaging, food packaging and paper products are either refillable and supported by a refill system; reusable and managed through a reuse system; recyclable and collected through a curbside or alternative system; or compostable and collected through a curbside or alternative system.
Under the law, producers — which MPCA noted are generally the brand owners, manufacturers or importers — must join a PRO. Producers will cover at least half of net recycling costs in Minnesota come Feb. 1, 2029. From there, it ramps up: A year later, the threshold rises to 75%, and a year after that to 90%.
MPCA is supposed to complete a needs assessment, to inform the first stewardship plan, by Dec. 31, 2026. There will be a needs assessment every five years. CAA’s first stewardship plan is due to MPCA by Oct. 1, 2028.
“CAA is well positioned to help producers of packaging, food packaging, and paper products comply with Minnesota's extended producer responsibility law and advance the state's efforts toward more sustainable materials management and overall waste reduction,” said MPCA Commissioner Katrina Kessler, in a statement. CAA was the sole organization that applied to serve as a PRO, according to MPCA.
CAA says its experience in other states will help it hit the ground running in Minnesota. In addition to being selected in Colorado and California, CAA has submitted multiple revisions of a program plan in Oregon and is part of Maryland’s producer responsibility advisory council.
“Over the past three years we have been building tools, processes, plans, and a strong team to implement packaging EPR programs in California, Colorado, and Oregon,” said CAA CEO Jeff Fielkow in a statement. “This work enables us to immediately find efficiencies for producers in Minnesota, and scale best practices so we can reduce waste and recycle more in the state and across the country.”
In a recent interview, Fielkow said CAA is focused on scaling up the PRO and building out infrastructure for registered producers in 2025.
In addition to confirming CAA, MPCA also recently appointed an 18-member packaging EPR advisory board, which includes representation from Ameripen, American Beverage and American Forest & Paper Association.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional information from MPCA.
