The Legislator Guide for Circular Policy

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Circle · The Circular Leadership Network · Membership 2026–2027

The year behind us, the year ahead.

The 2026 report and the 2027 calendar — Circle’s programs, events, and membership.

01 · The Shift

EPR is changing how the value chain thinks about packaging.

Packaging EPR is quickly reshaping how companies across the value chain think about packaging and strategy. The first seven state programs are moving from paper to practice — the first CAA reporting cycle is behind us, reports and invoices are landing, and California’s SB 54 is taking shape — while new states line up behind them.

ISRP due Aug 1
California’s Individual Source Reduction Plans due under SB 54 — the next major deadline
~$190M invoiced
Oregon’s first program year — report published, first producer invoices issued
New program plan
California released its draft SB 54 program plan — the country’s most comprehensive program taking shape
REM standard
Responsible End Markets standard in development with TRP & CAA
11 EPR bills introduced
EPR-for-packaging bills introduced in 11 state legislatures in 2026 sessions
10+ states exploring
circular policy under active consideration — EPR for packaging, deposit-return systems, recycled content & more

02 · About Circle

Built to make sense of circular policy.

The Circular Leadership Network (Circle) was built to help policymakers and industry leaders make sense of circular packaging policy and recycling infrastructure — from obligated producers and the manufacturers and suppliers who partner with them, to the data and service providers supporting the transition. It’s a nonpartisan educational and information-sharing platform for legislators, industry, and NGOs, without advocating for specific legislation or strategies.

Neutral by design. Circle convenes under Chatham House Rule — a place to learn and compare notes, never to advocate.

Clear antitrust guardrails. Circle sessions never involve current or future prices, fees, cost structures, volumes, customer-specific strategies, or other competitively sensitive information — and working sessions convene with antitrust counsel present.

Two Circle members in conversation beside a wall of baled plastic at an Oregon recycling facility.

03 · How Members Engage

All year, in person and online.

Six programs, one membership — every one included.

Click any program to unfold what it is and when it happens

01 Experiential ExpeditionsSee implemented EPR systems firsthand — two expeditions a year.

Observe how mature systems actually run, compare approaches with the people operating them, and bring the lessons home. Membership includes one participant on every expedition.

  • Jul 6–10, 2026Europe · Austria & SlovakiaInside two of Europe’s longest-running EPR and deposit-return systems.Event details
  • Oct 12–16, 2026Canada · Montréal, QuébecOne of North America’s most mature producer-responsibility systems, next door.Sign up
  • July 2027Europe · Destination TBAThe 2027 European program, shaped by member demand.
  • October 2027Canada · VancouverBritish Columbia’s fully producer-run system in action.
02 In-Person SummitsWhere the field works its hardest problems together — under Chatham House Rule.

High-trust and in-person. Legislators and cross-sector leaders from across the value chain, working live problems. Membership includes two tickets to every summit.

  • Sept 2026The Learning Exchange @ See Change · Burlington, VTThis year’s gathering — legislators and leaders from across the value chain.Event details
  • Dec 2026Responsible End Markets SummitAligning the value chain on credible, responsible end markets — with TRP & CAA.
  • May 2027EPR Readiness SummitThe working forum behind the 5% → 52% readiness lift.
  • Sept 2027See Change 2027Next year’s exchange on the biggest topics in EPR for packaging.
03 Virtual CirclesOff-the-record, informed engagement — all year long, without advocacy.

Demand-driven and built around the hottest topics in EPR, in consultation with our advisory board.

  • QuarterlyEPR Policy CirclePlenaries supporting hundreds of elected officials & staff.
  • OngoingWriter’s RoomWith the writers of the laws themselves.
  • Always onCircular Policy NavigatorA real-time U.S. policy snapshot.
  • OngoingImplementer’s InsightsFrom the people running the programs.
  • Quarterly +EPR Readiness CircleLearning exchanges plus monthly expert office hours.

Recent focuses, set by member demand:
California compliance & eco-modulation · 5/31 reporting deadlines · source-reduction planning · supply-chain & modeling

04 Circle GuideNewTurnkey, source-cited EPR intelligence for every employee — included in membership.

Always-on regulatory intelligence on EPR for packaging — tailored to your business, and grounded to bill text, official reports, and program plans. Now in pilot; launches Sept 2026.

Packaging Engineer
“How does this rule change my format choices?”
Procurement & Supply Chain
“Which suppliers and materials are exposed?”
Sustainability
“Are we on track to our targets?”
Sales Leader
“What does EPR mean for my customers’ costs?”
Finance
“What’s our fee exposure — and when?”
Executive
“Where is our risk, and what’s next?”
05 Learning ProductsBuilt with members, shared with the field — syntheses, guides & playbooks.

A growing library of practical, non-partisan guidance — the reports and tools members and the wider field actually use.

06 Pre-Competitive WorkMember-led working groups on shared, non-competitive challenges.

Under Chatham House Rule, with antitrust counsel present.

  • ActiveResponsible end marketsBuilding confidence in where recovered material actually goes.
  • In designTextile EPR working groupPreparing the value chain for California’s textile EPR.
  • ActiveAMCP recyclingCredible standards & guardrails for advanced / chemical / molecular recycling.
  • In designRetail standards alignmentShared packaging expectations across major retailers.
  • ActiveMaterial & format transitionsNavigating shifts as eco-modulation reshapes design.

04 · The Calendar

What’s next.

The full 2026–2027 season — every expedition, summit, and webinar, and why each one matters.

Filter by program type, or scroll the whole year

✓  Already delivered · Jan–Jul 2026 — seven months of programming
JanPolicy Webinar #1
FebEPR Readiness #1
MarEPR Readiness #2
AprACMP Study Expedition
MayEPR Readiness #4
JunSource Reduction Summit
JulAustria Study Expedition
2026 · Upcoming
Sep 16–17EPR Learning Exchange 2026SummitPolicy Circle

The year’s flagship gathering, held at See Change in Burlington, VT — legislators and cross-sector leaders from across the value chain, in person and under Chatham House Rule. Also the launch of Circle Guide: always-on, source-cited EPR intelligence for every member employee.

Learn more →
Sep 25EPR Readiness Webinar #5Readiness Circle

The Readiness Circle’s working session on the compliance questions members are facing right now.

Learn more →
Oct 13–16Québec Study ExpeditionExpeditionPolicy Circle

Four days inside Montréal’s producer-responsibility system — one of North America’s most mature, observed firsthand with the people who run it.

Learn more →
Oct 23EPR Readiness Webinar #6Readiness Circle

Continuing the readiness curriculum — quarterly exchanges plus monthly expert office hours.

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Nov 30Textile Expedition BeginsExpeditionPolicy Circle

The first expedition of the textile program — preparing the value chain for California’s textile EPR.

Learn more →
Week of Dec 13Responsible End Markets SummitSummitReadiness Circle

Aligning the value chain on credible, responsible end markets — convened with TRP & CAA.

Learn more →
2027
Jan 21Policy Webinar #1Policy Circle

The Policy Circle opens 2027 — what changed over the winter, and what the new legislative sessions mean for producers.

Learn more →
Feb 19EPR Readiness Webinar #1Readiness Circle

The 2027 readiness curriculum begins — built around the decisions members actually have in front of them.

Learn more →
Apr 15Policy Webinar #2Policy Circle

Mid-session read on state legislatures: which bills are moving, and what they’d mean in practice.

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May 11–13Circle’s Circularity Conference at RTI InternationalConference

Three days with the whole ecosystem at one table — the largest convening of the Circle year.

Learn more →
Jul 26–30European Flexible Films ExpeditionExpeditionPolicy Circle

A focused look at how Europe collects, sorts, and finds end markets for flexible films — packaging’s hardest recovery problem.

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Aug 2–6European Circular Policy ExpeditionExpeditionPolicy Circle

The 2027 European program — inside mature EPR and deposit-return systems with the people operating them.

Learn more →
Aug 27EPR Readiness Webinar #2Readiness Circle

Readiness Circle working session — compliance timelines, reporting, and what’s next.

Learn more →
Sep 15–16EPR Learning Exchange Sessions 2027SummitPolicy Circle

See Change 2027 — next year’s exchange on the biggest topics in EPR for packaging.

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Oct 18–22Vancouver Policy ExpeditionExpeditionPolicy Circle

British Columbia’s fully producer-run system — the closest look at what a steady-state program feels like.

Learn more →
Oct 29EPR Readiness Webinar #3Readiness Circle

Closing out the 2027 readiness curriculum ahead of year-end reporting cycles.

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Nov 29–Dec 3Textile Expedition · France / GhanaExpeditionPolicy Circle

From the world’s first textile EPR program to the destination markets where textiles actually end up — the full chain, seen end to end.

Learn more →

05 · 2026 Results

Our flagship 2026 result — improved readiness across the network — began with a simple question from a member:

How ready are we, really — and how do we compare?
— Chief Circularity Officer, a leading global CPG

Circle convened 300+ peers and ecosystem partners — converters and material producers among them — so each organization could benchmark its own readiness against anonymized, aggregated data, and make better-informed, independent decisions.

Membership improves readiness — measurably.

At June 2026’s Source Reduction Summit, two days moved the room from lost to ready on California’s Individual Source Reduction Plan.

5%
Coming in
→ ×10 →
52%
Two days later
97%
left at moderate-or-better understanding
98%
met the goal they came for
40
hands-on case-study stations

Source: Source Reduction Summit pre/post-event polls, June 2026 — anonymized & aggregated.

Unique insights.

Every session, expedition, and summit feeds practical, non-partisan guidance back to members and the wider field.

The Legislator Guide to Circular Policy
The nonpartisan circular-policy resource, now in legislators’ hands.
State of the Circle & Voices from the Circle
Syntheses and participant perspectives from every Readiness Circle session.
Expedition Reports
Findings from every trip — British Columbia, Montréal, the Pacific Northwest & Europe.
Responsible Production Guidelines for Recycling Operations
Output of the pre-competitive workstream.

The right people are in the room.

Industry, government, and the wider ecosystem — the relationships that matter are already at the table.

300+ leaders
private-sector leaders engaged across the ecosystem
100+ policymakers
legislators & advisors working on circular policy
All 7 EPR states
the authors & sponsors of every enacted EPR-for-packaging law participate in the network
8 expeditions
experiential expeditions delivered across the US, Canada & Europe
All major materials
alternative materials, paper, glass, aluminum, plastic & cartons — every material engaged
Whole value chain
brands, producers, converters, haulers, recyclers, policymakers & NGOs at one table

06 · Why Circle

A neutral table for the whole packaging system.

What you get at Circle.

  1. Be in the room with the rule makers

    The regulators, PROs, and policymakers shaping your obligations are at this table — alongside the leaders navigating them. Companies outside the room find out what was decided. Companies inside it are part of the conversation.

  2. One table, the whole ecosystem

    Brands, producers, haulers, recyclers, policymakers, and NGOs — every part of the value chain, in one neutral room. You can’t understand a system by talking to one piece of it.

  3. Stay ahead of the EPR curve

    Implementation is moving fast and no two states look the same. Members get context on what’s happening now and what’s coming next. You shouldn’t be learning about requirements when they take effect.

  4. Reduce your risk

    EPR fees are a new and growing P&L line — and the packaging decisions you make today set what you pay for years. Readiness is cheaper than reaction.

  5. Find your coalition

    The companies working through the same requirements, decisions, and unknowns you are. The hardest problems in packaging won’t be solved alone.

  6. Learn from established systems

    EPR has been running for years in other markets, and Circle takes members inside them to learn directly from the people operating them. The experience already exists — use it.

07 · Membership

One annual membership. Everything included.

  • ✓
    Access to all programs, all yearPolicy Circle, Readiness Circle, Circle Guide & member studies.
  • ✓
    A seat at the tableHelp convene and shape the field’s largest summits and meetings.
  • ✓
    2 tickets to every summit *Bring the right people into the room.
  • ✓
    1 participant in every expedition *See implemented systems firsthand.

* Summits & in-person expeditions may carry additional costs to cover hard costs.

Included — all six ways members engage
  1. 01 Expeditions
  2. 02 Summits
  3. 03 Virtual circles
  4. 04 Circle Guide
  5. 05 Learning products
  6. 06 Pre-competitive workstreams

Membership 2026–2027

Bringing together the next decade of packaging policy.

The landscape is shifting — and contested — right now. The time to build readiness is before the next change lands.

Explore membership → See the calendar

Membership 2026–2027 is open.

Talk to us about bringing your team to the table.

Start the conversation →