Minnesota closed out its 2023 legislative session by becoming the fifth state in just under three years to enact extended producer responsibility (EPR) legislation for packaging and paper products.  Not many of the legislators that voted for EPR in those state houses nor the vast majority of those affected by the laws could explain them.  Bree Dietly will help decode the mystery.  Bree worked with a Canadian consultant to develop the first EPR bill establishing EPR for packaging and paper in Vermont, introduced in 2011; almost everyone hated the idea.

What happened to make EPR hot?  Bree will walk through her EPR 101 and use examples from current and proposed laws to illustrate what makes for a good EPR program – one that will actually improve recycling quantity and quality – and what to watch out for.  Bree has been the subject matter expert on this issue for the beverage industry, which has taken a lead position in staking out principles for well-designed EPR and also pushing back against poorly designed programs.  She was particularly engaged in the development of the laws in Colorado and Minnesota, both of which she and her clients point to as good models for others to follow.