Seller guide
US Packaging EPR: A Plain-English Guide for Ownprint Sellers
Last verified: August 2026. We keep this guide updated as new state laws go live.
The short version. If you sell into the United States, some states now have packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws, similar to the EU. Here is what actually matters for you:
- You (the seller and brand owner) are the "producer" under these laws, not Ownprint. Your products are sold under your brand, so the obligation sits with you.
- Packaging EPR is tied to each brand owner and based on your own sales volume, so there is no single umbrella partner that can absorb it for every seller.
- The good news: every US state with an active law has a small-business exemption, and almost every jewelry seller falls under it. The thresholds are typically under 1 tonne of packaging into a state, or under a revenue floor.
- In practice, most Ownprint sellers owe nothing. The main action item is in California, where you register to formally claim your exemption.
Who counts as the "producer"?
US EPR laws use the same hierarchy across states:
- Brand owner: whoever sells the product under their own brand or trademark. (This is you.)
- If there is no brand owner in the state, the obligation moves to the licensee.
- If neither exists, it moves to the importer or distributor who first brings the product into the state.
Because your customers buy under your brand, you are the producer. Ownprint is your fulfillment and production partner: we make and ship the product, but it is sold under your name, so the packaging obligation is yours.
Why is there no umbrella partner? Packaging EPR attaches per brand owner and depends on each seller's own volumes, so no single partner can take it on for everyone. What we can do is share our exact packaging materials and weights so you can report accurately. You can find them in our packaging materials guide, and the registration itself belongs to the brand owner.
The 7 states with active packaging EPR laws (and their exemptions)
What this means for jewelry sellers: your parcels are small and light. Reaching 1 tonne of packaging into a single state in a year is extremely unlikely for a normal shop, and most sellers are also under the revenue floors. So in real terms, you are almost certainly exempt in every one of these states.
The one thing to actually do: California wants you to register (in PEPRS) and file the exemption application to formally claim it. Being under the threshold is not automatic there. The other states are generally automatic below the threshold, though Oregon and Colorado suggest borderline producers register anyway.
Who runs these programs?
Most states use a single Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO), the Circular Action Alliance (CAA), for California, Oregon, Colorado, Minnesota, Washington and Maryland. If you ever do need to register or report, that is where it happens. Sellers based outside the US can also use agents or partners to handle the admin; the legal responsibility stays with you as the brand owner, but the paperwork can be delegated.
States to watch (not active yet)
Packaging EPR is spreading. Not yet in force but coming or proposed: Rhode Island (thresholds to be set after a December 2026 assessment), plus New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Hawaii, Georgia, Connecticut, Nebraska and North Carolina. We will keep this guide updated as new states go live.
Your checklist if you sell into the US
1
Know you are the producer (brand owner), not Ownprint.
2
You are very likely exempt in every active state. Your packaging volume is well under 1 tonne per state.
3
California: register in CalRecycle's PEPRS and file the small-producer exemption to claim it.
4
Other states: generally nothing to do below the threshold.
5
Scaling fast? If you might approach a threshold, confirm your status with the Circular Action Alliance.
6
Need packaging details to report? We are happy to share the materials and specs for anything we fulfill. Start with our packaging materials guide.
Also selling into the EU?
US EPR is separate from EU rules. See our other guides:
Sources
Last verified: August 2026. Not legal advice, just a practical summary to help you understand your obligations. Always confirm your own status with the relevant state program if you are near a threshold.
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