AF&PA sees potential EPR dilemma in Washington state

The Washington-based American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) has scheduled a media briefing March 8, offering its views on the proposed Washington Recycling and Packaging Act (WRAP Act) that would create an extended producer responsibility (EPR) framework for packaging that includes paperboard products in the state of Washington.

AF&PA, a trade group representing paper and wood products companies in the United States, says the proposal "would impose new costs on producers to fund recycling programs but could undercut the investments industries like paper are already making in recycling infrastructure."

At the March 8 event, Terry Webber, AF&PA vice president of industry affairs, will discuss several aspects of the WRAP Act and why AF&PA thinks it is unnecessary to include paper packaging within its EPR framework.

According to the AF&PA, the paper recycling system in the U.S. “is stronger than ever,” with 68 percent of "all paper consumed” in the U.S. having been recycled in 2021. The group says that percentage matches the highest national paper recycling rate yet achieved.

Webber and the group also call the Washington proposal a “one-size-fits-all EPR program” that “could undermine the success of paper recycling in the state. Currently, in Washington the total paper and cardboard recycling rate exceeds other materials collected for recycling,” AF&PA states.

EPR targeted toward paperboard anywhere in the U.S., the group implies could stop the recycling investment momentum already present in the sector. “The paper industry has planned around $5 billion in manufacturing infrastructure investments by 2024, which will help continue the best use of recycled fiber,” AF&PA says. “That is nearly $2.5 million per day in voluntary investments that could be impacted by state mandates and fees."

More detail on the AF&PA perspective on EPR programs can be found here. The current 139-page draft of the WRAP Act can be found here.