Over the past two decades, the U.S. product stewardship movement has grown and evolved, from a focus on toxic and bulky products to also include packaging and related materials. In 2021, Maine and Oregon enacted the first two packaging extended responsibility (EPR) laws, followed in 2022 by Colorado and California. A dozen other states have introduced packaging EPR bills over the past two years. In 2024, Minnesota took center stage.
On this webinar our expert speakers unpacked the process that led Minnesota to become the fifth state in the country to enact EPR for packaging. At the start of this process, PSI was hired by the Partnership on Waste and Energy, a Minnesota joint powers authority comprised of Hennepin, Ramsey, and Washington counties, to assist in developing the initial Minnesota packaging bill. PSI used its updated packaging EPR policy model as the basis for facilitated stakeholder agreements that became the basis for subsequent conversations that led to the final bill, which was signed into law by Governor Tim Walz on May 21, 2024.
This webinar laid out the process PSI used to develop the initial bill and gain stakeholder input and support and featured key players who contributed significantly to the final agreement. Speakers included local government leader who guided the bill over its three–year development, a state agency official who provided important policy guidance, and other bill advocates. The webinar covered the law’s provisions, unique aspects, implementation timelines, and the collaborative leadership required to pass such significant legislation.
RECORDING: This webinar was open to the entire PSI community; however, the recording is accessible only to PSI’s Members and Partners in our Resource Library.
Scott Cassel
CEO and Founder, Product Stewardship Institute
Mallory Anderson
Policy Specialist
Hennepin County, Minnesota
Kirk Koudelka
Assistant Commissioner
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA)
Lucy Mullany
Director of Policy & Advocacy
Eureka Recycling