POLICY POSITION
Recycled Materials Attribution Act (S. 5674; H.R. 7502)
America’s Plastic Makers urge Congress to advance the bipartisan Recycled Materials Attribution Act (RMAA).
As global demand for recycled materials continues to grow, in part due to recycled content requirements, America needs policies that strenghten domestic recycling markets, support manufacturing competitiveness and keep jobs and investments here at home.
Plastics and plastic-enabled industries support nearly 5 million American jobs and generate hundreds of billions of dollars in wages annually. To remain competitive in the global market, American manufacturers need access to more high-quality recycled materials and to have confidence when marketing products. Without a strong domestic supply and labeling framework, companies may be forced to source recycled materials from overseas.
That’s why we’re part of a broad coalition of organizations—including consumer brands, manufacturers, recyclers, and others — that support the bill’s enactment as an important step toward creating clear, consistent national standards for recycled-content marketing claims.
Momentum Builds in Congress
The Recycled Materials Attribution Act has now been introduced in the U.S. Senate as S. 5674 by Senator John Curtis (R-Utah), chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice, and Regulatory Oversight, and member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.
We applaud Senator Curtis for his leadership in advancing common sense national standards that can provide greater clarity around recycled-content claims and help strengthen markets for recycled materials.
Now is the time. Congress should pass the Recycled Materials Attribution Act and send it to the President’s desk for signature.
We applaud Congressman Nick Langworthy (R-NY), the House bill’s bipartisan co-sponsors, and Senator John Curtis (R-UT) for their leadership in advancing this important legislation.
Nicholas Langworthy (R-NY)
John Curtis (R-UT)
Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX)
Randy Weber (R-TX)
Jonathan Jackson (D-IL)
Gabe Evans (R-CO)
Don Davis (D-NC)
Dan Crenshaw (R-TX)
Marc Veasey (D-TX)
Henry Cuellar (D-TX)
August Pfluger (R-TX)
Jeff Hurd (R-CO)
Addison McDowell (R-NC)
Troy Balderson (R-OH)
America’s Plastic Makers support policies that improve recycling, strengthen consumer confidence, and bolster U.S. competitiveness.
American consumers deserve accurate and consistent recycling and sustainability claims on products. At the same time, companies deserve clear, predictable rules that encourage the use of more recycled materials and allow them to communicate those efforts uniformly. Unfortunately, today’s patchwork of state labeling requirements can create confusion, increase costs, and make it more difficult to expand the use of recycled materials.
The Recycled Materials Attribution Act would establish a consistent national framework for marketing claims, helping bolster domestic recycling markets and reduce landfill waste and incineration by:
- Establishing a uniform, predictable national framework of key recycling terms to reduce complexity for consumers and marketers.
- Requiring the FTC to update and clarify its Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims, also known as the FTC Green Guides.
Clear standards can help strengthen U.S. recycling markets, increase demand for recycled materials, support domestic manufacturing, and encourage continued investment in recycling infrastructure and innovation.
We thank the Energy & Commerce Committee for its bipartisan vote to advance the Recycled Materials Attribution Act to the House floor for consideration by the full House of Representatives. We urge House leadership to hold a timely vote on the bill, and welcome introduction of companion legislation in the Senate.
