Minnesota selects Circular Action Alliance as PRO

The Minnesota Pollution Control Authority, or MPCA, has announced that the Circular Action Alliance (CAA), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, producer-led organization, has been selected as Minnesota’s initial PRO, or producer responsibility organization.

Minnesota’s extended producer responsibility (EPR) law for packaging, food packaging and paper products, the Packaging Waste and Cost Reduction Act, requires producers in the form of the brand owner, manufacturer or importer to appoint and join a PRO to coordinate and fund the statewide recycling program. 

The Minnesota Legislature passed its EPR bill early last year, making it the fifth state in the U.S. to do so. The bill was signed into law by Gov. Walz May 21, 2024.

As PRO, CAA will coordinate producers and implement a statewide program that encourages redesigning packaging and paper products to reduce harmful environmental and human health impacts and to reduce the overall generation and waste of these materials through reduction, reuse/refill, recycling and composting strategies. The program will expand and improve systems needed for the collection, transportation and processing of end-of-life materials, creating more green jobs and infrastructure development, MPCA says. Through the PRO, producers will cover most of the costs associated with collection and management of recyclable and compostable packaging and paper products and reuse and refill systems established under the law.

MPCA Commissioner Katrina Kessler says, “CAA is well-positioned to help producers of packaging, food packaging and paper products comply with Minnesota’s extended producer responsibility law and advance the state’s efforts toward more sustainable materials management and overall waste reduction.”

“We are honored to be confirmed by the MPCA as Minnesota’s PRO and look forward to collaborating to advance the goals of the state’s ambitious EPR law,” said Jeff Fielkow, CEO for CAA. “Over the past three years we have been building tools, processes, plans, and a strong team to implement packaging EPR programs in California, Colorado, and Oregon. This work enables us to immediately find efficiencies for producers in Minnesota, and scale best practices so we can reduce waste and recycle more in the state and across the country.”

Companies that expect to be producers under Minnesota’s Packaging Waste and Cost Reduction Act are encouraged to visit CAA’s Producer Resource Center to learn more and begin the registration process.

CAA became the first approved PRO to implement an EPR program for packaging and paper products in the United States after the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment appointed the organization in 2023. Since then, CAA also has been selected by CalRecycle as California’s PRO, was appointed by the Maryland Department of Environment to represent producer interests on its State Producer Responsibility Advisory Council and has submitted a final program plan to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality in preparation for the start of Oregon’s EPR program in July 2025.

In addition to Minnesota’s PRO confirmation, the MPCA recently announced the appointment of 18 individuals to the Packaging EPR Advisory Board, which will review activities conducted by the MPCA and the PRO and advise on program implementation. More information on the board is available at the MPCA extended producer responsibility for packaging webpage.