OlegKovalevich | stock.adobe.com
Washburn Consulting Sustainability and Public Affairs LLC has launched the EPR Academy, a new resource designed to help companies stay compliant and understand emerging extended producer responsibility (EPR) packaging legislation.
The academy brings together leading experts in EPR policy and compliance to deliver accessible training and is now live and enrolling compliance managers, sustainability professionals and business leaders seeking to prepare for new regulatory requirements.
“EPR programs require companies to understand the rules, build internal systems, collect the right data and issue timely reports,” EPR Academy Executive Director and founder Michael Washburn says. “For many businesses, this is unfamiliar territory. The academy cuts through complexity, making requirements easier to understand and act on.”
EPR Academy sponsor Signalfire Group, a subsidiary of Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Resource Recycling Systems (RRS), says the academy aims to empower compliance managers, sustainability leaders and executives to navigate EPR laws through faculty, state specific guidance and practical compliance tools.
RELATED: How EPR is transforming the packaging industry | Packaging EPR legislation is here
EPR packaging laws are already active in California, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington, with additional states preparing legislation. Each state has distinct reporting timelines and requirements, and companies face mounting pressure to adapt, Signalfire Group says.
“EPR laws are reshaping how companies think about packaging and sustainability,” says Resa Dimino, managing principal at RRS and managing partner at Signalfire Group. “The academy brings together the best minds in the field to give compliance managers, executives and sustainability leaders the confidence to act.”
Offered on demand, the course can be completed in approximately four to six hours at one’s own pace, with the option to pause and return at any time. Participants may also take an exam to earn a certificate of completion, and enrollment includes ongoing access to a resource library with readiness checklists, regulatory updates, glossaries and links to state agencies and producer responsibility organizations (PROs).
“The EPR Academy is designed to meet compliance managers where they are,” says Garth Hickle, managing partner at Signalfire Group. “With straightforward modules and real-world examples, it demystifies regulations and provides companies with practical pathways to compliance.”