Solid waste: products: environmental marketing claims.

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION Assembly Bill No. 2253 Introduced by Assembly Member Boerner February 19, 2026 An act to amend Section 42357.6 of the Public Resources Code, relating to solid waste. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 2253, as introduced, Boerner. Solid waste: products: environmental marketing claims. Existing law requires a manufacturer or supplier making an environmental marketing claim relating to the recycled content of a plastic food container product to maintain specified information and documentation in written form in its records in support of that claim. Existing law requires the maintained information to include that the recycled content for materials has been diverted from the solid waste stream either during the manufacturing process (preconsumer) or after consumer use (postconsumer) and that the recycled content claim conforms to the uniform standards for recycled content contained in the Federal Trade Commission Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims. Existing law provides for the imposition of a civil penalty by a city, county, or the state for a violation of these provisions. This bill would expand those provisions from plastic food container products to all products. The bill would revise the reference to the Federal Trade Commission Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims to specifically refer to those guides as they read on January 1, 2026. The bill would additionally require the recycled content claim to be based on the actual physical recycled content in the product without the use of certain types of accounting. The bill would define “postconsumer” for purposes of these provisions. Digest Key Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO Bill Text The people of the State of California do enact as follows: SECTION 1. Section 42357.6 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read: 42357.6. (a) For purposes of this section, “plastic food container product” means a product made of plastic that includes a tray, clamshell container, or other receptacle and that is used, or intended to be used, to hold food. “postconsumer” means a material that would otherwise be destined for disposal, having completed its intended end use and product life cycle. “Postconsumer” does not include materials or byproducts generated from, and commonly reused within, an original manufacturing and fabrication process. (b) A manufacturer or supplier making an environmental marketing claim relating to the recycled content of a plastic food container product shall maintain information and documentation, which shall be in written form in its records, of both of the following in support of that claim: (1) The recycled content for materials has been recovered or otherwise diverted from the solid waste stream either during the manufacturing process (preconsumer) or after consumer use (postconsumer). (2) The recycled content claim conforms to the uniform standards for recycled content contained in the Federal Trade Commission Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims (16 C.F.R. Part 260). 260), as it read on January 1, 2026. (3) The recycled content claim shall be based on the actual physical recycled content in the product without the use of credit-based mass balance accounting, including free allocation, “book-and-claim” accounting, or similar approaches that are not based on the actual physical recycled content in the product. (c) A manufacturer or supplier shall furnish the information and documentation that it is required to maintain pursuant to this section to any member of the public upon request or provide the information and documentation by furnishing a link to a document on its Internet Web site internet website containing the information and documentation. (d) This section does not limit the requirements of this chapter or any other provision of law.