AF&PA Statement on Litigation Challenging California’s SB 54
California should recognize paper’s strong recycling record and pursue a more practical approach
WASHINGTON — American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) Vice President of Government Affairs Julie Landry issued the following statement on the latest development in CLFP v. Bonta litigation, which seeks to add challenges related to California’s SB 54:
“California’s SB 54 gets paper wrong. It treats widely recycled paper and paper-based packaging like materials that face fundamentally different recycling challenges, imposing new costs without improving paper recycling.
“The paper industry has invested for decades in designing recyclable products, expanding mill infrastructure that uses recovered fiber and supporting recycling systems across the country. Effective policy should build on that progress and recognize the important differences among materials. Instead, SB 54 risks increasing costs, disrupting established recycling markets and creating uncertainty for manufacturers and consumers.
“The law also establishes requirements that do not reflect the practical realities of recycling paper and paper-based packaging. A one-size-fits-all approach will not produce better environmental outcomes.
“This litigation is an important opportunity to scrutinize the law and its consequences. California should pause implementation, address the law’s significant flaws and pursue recycling policies that are practical, fair and focused on results.”