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AF&PA Responds to Court Decision Blocking Enforcement of California SB 343

Court injunction protects manufacturers’ ability to provide accurate recycling information to consumers

WASHINGTON – American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) Vice President of Government Affairs Julie Landry today released the following statement on a federal judge granting a preliminary injunction that blocks California from enforcing SB 343.

“This ruling is a significant win, not just for our members, but for every business that wants to give consumers accurate information about the products they buy. Paper-based packaging is among the most recyclable in the country, and our members should be able to say so truthfully. SB 343 would have forced manufacturers to strip accurate recycling information off packaging that is, in fact, recyclable - not because the claims were false, but because the law’s own standards were too vague to comply with.

The Court recognized what we’ve said from the beginning: California cannot fix consumer confusion by restricting truthful speech.”

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) serves to advance public policies that foster economic growth, job creation and global competitiveness for a vital sector that makes the essential paper and packaging products Americans use every day. The U.S. forest products industry employs more than 925,000 people, largely in rural America, and is among the top 10 manufacturing sector employers in 44 states. Our industry accounts for approximately 4.7% of the total U.S. manufacturing GDP, manufacturing more than $435 billion in products annually. AF&PA member companies are significant producers and users of renewable biomass energy and are committed to making sustainable products for a sustainable future through the industry’s decades-long initiative — Better Practices, Better Planet 2030