bcg -将包装合规转化为高管层的利好机遇 Turning Packaging Compliance into a Win for the C-Suite

CLIMATECHANGEANDSUSTAINABILITY

TurningPackaging

ComplianceintoaWin

fortheC-Suite

ByPaulinaPoncedeLeónBanidó,AlexanderMeyerzumFelde,JohnWillard,MackenzieMarcotte,andPolCardona

ARTICLESEPTEMBER16,2026

Extendedproducerresponsibility(EPR)regulationsforpackagingareproliferatingglobally,

creatingincreasinglycomplexcompliancerequirementsforconsumercompaniesandthoseinadjacentindustries.Theselaws—alreadyinplaceinEUcountries,India,Japan,Canada,and

severalUSstates,includingCalifornia—requirecompaniestopayfeesbasedonthevolumeandtypeofpackagingtheyputintothemarket.Thecostimplicationsandcomplexityofthese

requirementsarelikelytoincreaseasotherjurisdictionsenactsimilarrules.

◎2026BostonConsultingGroup1

TheSoWhat

Approximately20%ofUSeconomicactivityisgeneratedinstatesthathaveenactedpackagingEPRlaws,potentiallyrisingtonearly50%by2030basedoncurrentstatelegislativesignals.Ouranalysisshowsthat

consumergoods

couldseemarginreductionsofapproximately5%.

Conversely,takingproactivestepscandeliversizablebenefits.Oneconsumercompanyrecentlyidentifiedmorethan$120millioninannualsavings,whilecuttingitspackagingvolumeper

productinhalf.

MostEPRfeesvarybytherecyclabilityofthematerialinquestion.Thisisdonetoencouragetheuseofmorerecyclablematerialslikepaperboardandaluminumanddiscouragetheuseof

materialswithlimitedrecyclabilitylikeplasticfilms.Thecollectedfeesfundrecyclingcollectionandprocessing.C-suiteleaderswhoprioritizepackagingEPRcansecurestrategicadvantages

thatcouldcompoundoverthecomingfivetosevenyears,ascompliancedemandsgrow.

PackagingEPRgovernancefallsawkwardlybetweensustainability,legal,finance,procurement,andproductfunctions,noneofwhichhastheauthoritytomakecompany-widedecisionsonitsown.Withnoclearowner,EPR-relateddecisionsescalatetoa

C-suite

unpreparedforthem,

creatingbottlenecks.AnadhocapproachtoEPRregulationsmayintroduceoutsizedrisks:

OverpaymentofFees.EPRfeesarecalculatedonthevolumeandrecyclabilityofpackagingsoldintoamarket.Theyaredynamic,tiedtorecyclingsystemmaturityandconsumer

behavior,andexpectedtorisefortheforeseeablefuture.Fragmentedpackagingdataandfast-approachingdeadlinesputcompaniesatriskofoverpaying.

SupplyChainVolatilityDuetoCompetitionforMaterials.Demandforrecycledmaterialislikelytooutpacesupply,andcompaniescouldsooncompetefortheseresourcesacross

productcategoriesandmaterials.Forexample,recycledPETisusedinboththefashionindustryandinconsumerpackaging.Similarly,food-graderecycledcontentcouldbeingreaterdemandacrossfoodmanufacturing,retail,andservice.

InsufficientDataforComplianceReporting.IntheUS,compliancewithEPRlawsrequiresaccurateinformationatthestatelevel.Manycompanieseitherdon’ttrackthisinformationordosousingveryrudimentaryprocesses,suchasmanualspreadsheets.

LimitsonMarketAccess.FallingbehindonpackagingEPRcomplianceexposescompaniestocompoundingfeesandfinesand,underseverallaws,jeopardizesmarketaccess.

Withaproactiveapproachandcoordinationacrossbusinessfunctions,leadershipteamscan

transformtheunderlyingeconomicsofproductandpackagingdesigntoreduceEPRfees,limit

volatility,buildstrongersupplierrelationships,anddevelopmoreinnovativepackagingsolutions.

©2026BostonConsultingGroup2

©2026BostonConsultingGroup3

NowWhat

Whilesomestate-levellegislationintheUSfacesongoinglegalchallenges,complianceformostproducersremainsmandatory.RatherthansimplytryingtomanageEPR-relatedfeesasacostofdoingbusiness,companiescantakeamoreproactive,strategicapproachtoshapethesystem

andrethinktheirowneconomics.Somesolutionsarerelativelystraightforwardtoimplement;

othersrequirecapital-intensiveR&D.Forthatreason,EPRisn’tanissuethatcanbedelegatedtoprocurementoranyotherfunctionalone.CompaniesneedstrongC-suitesupportto:

Investindata.Conductproductlifecycleassessmentstounderstandthefullenvironmental

footprintofproductsandpackagingatthelevelofindividualSKUstopinpointhotspots.State-levelvolumedataisrequired,whichmaydemandsystemupgradesandbetterinternal

communication.

Identifytherecyclingchokepoints.Recyclingsystemsfailatkeyjunctures—collecting,sorting,processing,converting—andthespecificchokepointsvarybymaterial.Byunderstandingthosenuances,companiescanmanagethemmoreeffectively,includingmeasureslikeinvestingin

take-backprograms,signinglong-termoff-takedealsforrecycledcontent,oralteringpackagingspecsbasedontheavailabilityofmaterials.

Assessdesignchanges.Inthenearterm,considermeasurestoreducethevolumeofEPR-liable

packaging,suchasreducingweight,simplifyingcomponents,incorporatingmorerecycled

content,andchangingmaterials.ManufacturershavesuccessfullyreducedEPRexposurethroughpackagingmaterialandproductformatredesign,thelatteroftenfocusingonconcentrated

tabletsandpowdersthatcanbepackagedinpaperboard.Beyondnear-termcompliance,forward-lookingcompaniescanuseEPRrequirementsasaforcingfactortodothedesign-to-valuework

thatcandeliverbroaderbenefits.Tear-downprocessesthatlowertheEPRbillarethesameprocessesthatcanaddressothertypesofcosts.

Strengthenthepackagingecosystem.Outsideoftheirownorganizations,companiescaninvestincollectioneffortstohelpensurerecyclingsystemsreceivehigh-qualityinputs.Theycanjoin

withpeerstoamplifydemandsignalsforrecycledmaterialsthroughpubliccommitments,

purchaseorders,andjointR&D.Finally,theycanmoreproactivelyengagewithproducer

responsibilityorganizations(suchasCircularActionAllianceintheUS)thatcanshapeoverallpoliciesandstandardizeactionsacrossjurisdictions.

Authors

PaulinaPoncedeLeónBaridó

ManagingDirector&PartnerSanFrancisco-BayArea

JohnWillard

SustainabilitySeniorPrincipalQuantisBoston

AlexanderMeyerzumFelde

PartnerandAssociateDirector,TotalSocietalImpact&

Sustainability&CircularEconomy

Hamburg

MackenzieMarcotte

Manager,