California has approved tougher recycled-plastic requirements for beverage manufacturers while rejecting a separate proposal to restrict environmental marketing claims across consumer products. American Recycler reports that Governor Gavin Newsom signed two beverage-sector measures on September 18, before vetoing the Protecting Consumers Against Greenwashing Act, AB 2253, on September 27, citing possible difficulties and administrative burdens for manufacturers.
The enacted measures, SB 633 and SB 955, amend California’s Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act. From March 2028, beverage producers must report imported postconsumer recycled content and secure third-party certification for that material, according to American Recycler. The legislation also raises the penalty for using virgin plastic from 20 cents to 30 cents per pound and contains provisions designed to increase community take-back services and recycling capacity.
AB 2253 would have taken a wider approach to the evidence behind recycled-content claims, covering packaging, clothing and other consumer goods. Authored by Assemblymember Tasha Boerner and sponsored by Californians Against Waste, the proposal would have required certain claims to comply with the Federal Trade Commission’s Green Guides. It also sought to limit accounting techniques used to support recycled-content statements, including mass-balance methods. Newsom’s veto leaves those proposed broader restrictions unadopted.
The decisions give recyclers and manufacturers a split policy outcome: California is strengthening documentation and financial requirements in the beverage sector without introducing the wider marketing framework proposed in AB 2253. American Recycler says the changes could make traceability, verification and supporting records more important for businesses seeking to demonstrate the recycled material contained in their products.
For beverage producers and their suppliers, the forthcoming reporting and certification obligations put particular emphasis on tracking the origin and quantity of postconsumer recycled material through supply chains. The measures also reinforce the role of independent verification in California’s recycled-content policy, while tying the beverage-sector requirements to virgin-plastic use and recycling infrastructure.