Why packaging EPR becomes a named e-commerce cost line by spring 2027: 3 signals

packaging EPR fees

Packaging is likely to become a named, per-material cost line in US e-commerce, with the trigger a binding California fee schedule due at CalRecycle in October 2026 and first producer invoices in January 2027. Oregon’s first-year rates already price flexible film up to roughly 47 times corrugated fiber per pound, and the mailer mix is the most exposed variable.

EU packaging regulation takes effect: PFAS ban hits retail packaging

EU packaging regulation

The EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation entered into application on 12 August 2026, replacing a directive that governed the bloc’s packaging rules for three decades. A PFAS restriction, new conformity documentation and marketplace verification duties bite immediately, while the heavier design rules wait until 2030.