EPR mandates push pet food packaging from sustainability to compliance

Extended producer responsibility, or EPR, is moving from policy talk to operating reality for food and pet food packaging, with Oregon’s program officially launching on July 1, 2025, and other state programs advancing on parallel tracks. Oregon now requires producers of covered packaging, paper, and food serviceware to register with the state’s approved producer responsibility organization, Circular Action Alliance, report supply data, and pay fees. Colorado has already required producer participation and reporting, Washington’s law took effect in 2025 with producer obligations beginning in 2026, Minnesota has confirmed its initial producer responsibility organization, and California’s SB 54 regulations were formally approved on May 1, 2026. Industry coverage in pet food has framed 2025 as the point when EPR stopped being theoretical and started affecting packaging design, machinery choices, and cost models. (oregon.gov)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals and pet food stakeholders, this is less about a single packaging trend and more about a structural shift in how packaged products are designed, sourced, labeled, and priced. Pet food packaging has been a particularly difficult category because many bags and multi-material flexible formats don’t fit easily into curbside recycling systems, even as pet parents increasingly expect more sustainable options. Groups including the Pet Sustainability Coalition and industry advisers at BSM Partners have said EPR is pushing brands to reassess material choices, recycled content, recyclability claims, and compliance readiness, with eco-modulated fees likely to reward packaging that performs better in recycling systems. (petfoodindustry.com)

What to watch: Watch for more fee schedules, reporting deadlines, and eco-modulation rules to shape packaging decisions across pet food through 2026 and 2027, especially as California and Washington move deeper into implementation. (calrecycle.ca.gov)