Two US bills aimed at creating national standards for recycled content and packaging labelling have advanced through the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
The Recycled Materials Attribution Act (RMAA) and the Packaging and Claims Knowledge (PACK) Act were considered during a committee markup on 16 September and will now proceed to the House of Representatives.
The RMAA would establish federal standards for marketing products containing recycled materials and direct the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to revise its Green Guides. It also includes provisions covering the use of mass balance accounting when making recycled content claims.
The PACK Act would establish a federal framework for labelling consumer packaging as recyclable, compostable or reusable. Companies would remain free to choose whether to make these statements, but those that do would have to comply with the requirements set out in the legislation.
Third-party certification
Covered statements would be verified by accredited independent third-party certification and subject to FTC oversight.
The Plastics Industry Association (Plastics), the US trade association representing the plastics industry, welcomed the committee’s advancement of both bills.
‘Plastics is pleased to see the RMAA and PACK Act advance out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee today,’ the organisation said in a statement.
It added that the proposals would establish ‘clearer, nationally consistent standards’ for recycling and related packaging information, giving consumers more reliable information and manufacturers greater certainty.
‘Together, they strengthen recycling markets and encourage investment in recycling and domestic manufacturing,’ Plastics said.
Ameripen, the American Institute for Packaging and the Environment, also welcomed the PACK Act’s advancement.
‘Greater consistency’
Its president, Lynn Dyer, said: “Ameripen has been proud to lead the PACK Act Coalition and bring together organisations across the packaging value chain around a shared goal: giving consumers packaging claims they can trust while providing businesses with greater consistency across the country.”
Ameripen said differing state requirements can add costs across packaging, production, inventory and distribution. The PACK Act would create a consistent national framework while giving the Federal Trade Commission greater powers to address misleading packaging information, it explained.
The organisation also stressed that companies would continue to decide whether to make recyclable, compostable or reusable statements, with the federal requirements applying when they choose to do so.
The two bills will now proceed to the next stage of consideration by the House of Representatives.
