Circular Action Alliance adds to founding members

Producer responsibility organization (PRO) Circular Action Alliance (CAA) has announced that Conagra Brands and Georgia-Pacific (GP) have joined the organization as founding members. They join CAA’s existing board members: Amazon; The Coca-Cola Co., Colgate-Palmolive, Danone, Ferrero, General Mills, Keurig Dr Pepper, The Kraft Heinz Co., L’Oréal, Mars Inc., Mondelēz International, Nestlé USA, Niagara Bottling LLC, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, SC Johnson, Target and and Walmart.

CAA is working to help implement extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws for paper and packaging in the United States. With their expertise in packaging design and recycling in the U.S. and globally, Chicago-based Conagra Brands, which includes Act II, Duncan Hines, Earth Balance, Frontera and Swiss Miss among its brands, and Atlanta-based GP will make an immediate contribution to the work of CAA's board of directors and grow the diversity of the packaging portfolio represented by these companies, the organization says.

“CAA is honored to welcome representatives from Conagra Brands and Georgia-Pacific to its board of directors, further enriching its collective expertise,” says Charlie Schwarze, CAA board chair and senior director of sustainability at Keurig Dr Pepper. “As we move closer to implementation of EPR laws, their experience and leadership will play a critical role in delivering on the requirements state to state and advancing a circular economy."

CAA says it is the only organization approved to implement U.S. EPR laws for paper and packaging and operates as the single PRO in California and Colorado. CAA has submitted a program plan to operate as the PRO in Oregon in 2025, an application to serve as the PRO in Minnesota and has been selected to represent producer interests as the PRO on the State Producer Responsibility Advisory Council in Maryland.

“One of CAA’s strategic operating principles is to provide strong producer governance of EPR programs and effective representation of producers’ priorities,” Jeff Fielkow, CEO of CAA, says. “The leadership provided by Conagra Brands and Georgia-Pacific, along with the other board members, directly supports our mission to help all producers comply with EPR laws, deliver harmonized best-in-class compliance services and work with governments, businesses and communities to reduce waste and recycle more.”