PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP INSTITUTE INC

PSI staff, board directors, members, and partners continued to advance EPR programs in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. PSI staff provided technical support, facilitated stakeholder engagement, mediated policy discussions, conducted research, and provided expert testimony that kept our team at the forefront of policy development, capacity building, and education. The results include the enactment of 4 new battery EPR laws in Colorado, Connecticut, Nebraska, and New York, and 2 new packaging EPR laws in Maryland and Washington. PACKAGING: PSI continued to serve as facilitator for the Colorado packaging EPR advisory board, ensuring that all stakeholder groups have ongoing input into the program; in fiscal year 2025 the focus was review and recommendation on the PRO's program plan and an individual program plan. Additionally, PSI launched the Packaging EPR Harmonization Task Force, which convened about 75 stakeholders including producers, regulators, industry associations and the PRO in discussions to develop a model for key elements of packaging EPR that can help make laws more consistent from state to state. In other efforts to help producers navigate compliance with packaging EPR, PSI conducted a five-part webinar series "Preparing Producers for Oregon Packaging EPR" in partnership with Circular Action Alliance and Oregon DEQ. We also collaborated with PARTSLIFE and the Auto Care Association to provide EPR compliance toolkits and two educational webinars to companies in the automotive aftermarket. PSI also conducted several webinars on packaging EPR and held an ongoing national packaging policy workgroup for government members to advance EPR initiatives. BATTERIES, VAPES, HHW, PHARMS, SHARPS: PSI continued to collaborate with Boulder County, Colorado (a PSI member) to advance stakeholder education, infrastructure, and management solutions for vape product waste, a growing environmental concern. PSI also launched similar work in Missouri on vapes, and ran semi-annual campaigns educating the public about safe medicine and medical sharps disposal in Missouri and Oklahoma, directing residents to authorized take-back locations through our GIS map. Additionally, PSI also provided technical support to members developing vapes, HHW, and battery EPR legislation, which resulted in bills introduced in numerous states and battery EPR laws enacted in Colorado, Connecticut, Nebraska, and New York, and introduced in numerous other states. PSI also held monthly strategic policy development calls with government members on battery policy, fostering dialogue and advancing EPR initiatives. EDUCATION AND CAPACITY BUILDING: PSI hosted the 2025 U.S. Product Stewardship Forum in Chicago, Illinois, welcoming nearly 200 attendees from across the country and around the world. The event convened experts from industry, government, and environmental groups to discuss and collaborate on pressing EPR topics. Throughout the year, PSI distributed monthly EPR-focused newsletters and press releases, keeping nearly 14,000 stakeholders informed on major developments in EPR policy. PSI also served as a key resource for journalists, contributing information to dozens of articles on EPR. Additionally, PSI spoke at dozens of conferences, meetings, and webinars on EPR across various waste streams, providing education to policymakers, industry representatives, government officials, environmental groups, and waste and recycling professionals. As PSI looks ahead, the organization remains committed to collaborating with state and local governments, businesses, and environmental organizations to further expand EPR initiatives, drive waste reduction, improve recycling systems, and promote sustainable product design.