Extended Producer Responsibility

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) shifts the responsibility of managing the disposition of post-consumer materials from taxpayers and municipalities to retailers and manufacturers. Producers of these materials may be required to fund and arrange for recycling services in exchange for the right to sell or distribute products. Although EPR is not a new concept, it is currently entering an uncharted phase. Never before has EPR been applied at this sweeping scale and with this level of intensity. To date, five U.S. states have passed EPR legislation that extends to paper and plastic packaging. 

King & Spalding has a cutting-edge EPR practice, which has been at the forefront of EPR long before the first state, Maine, passed a comprehensive EPR packaging law in 2021. The firm’s EPR practice, which serves clients including producers and service providers, extends beyond paper and plastics to batteries, electronics recycling, and other product stewardship.