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Jim Werner will present on EPR packaging programs at the Window and Door Manufacturers Association meeting in Minneapolis in June 2024
WELCOME
Our multi-disciplinary team of experts offer strategic planning for compliance with EPR packaging and paper laws. Contact us for information about registration deadlines, producer responsibility evaluations, and other obligations. Compliance deadlines are approaching and it’s time to prepare.
We can help.
ABOUT EPR
EPR programs assign responsibility to producers for the post consumer life-stage of products. EPR systems are widespread in Europe and other countries, but have only recently gained traction in the United States. Since 2021, four states (California, Oregon, Colorado, and Maine) have adopted EPR programs for single use packaging and/or paper and/or food serviceware -- and Maryland is conducting a needs assessment for a potential EPR program. Several other states are considering adoption of similar programs (e.g., New Jersey).
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In order to plan for an effective compliance program -- and in some cases, to comply with their customers' supply chain requirements -- companies need to understand which state programs may apply to them, what products are regulated under each program, when they have to comply with each state's requirements, and how they can reduce compliance costs through long-term planning.
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Companies with higher stakes in these laws may want to monitor and comment on forthcoming regulations and/or participate in one of the groups already engaging with these laws, including a producer working group created by Circular Action Alliance (already selected as a PRO by California, Colorado and Maryland and the only party to submit an application for the PRO in Oregon).
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OUR TEAM
![[4769] Catherine Johnson (61 of 101)(3k) 3.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d64350_8b1067bc046e40519f6afc2292d5d247~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_48,y_250,w_2303,h_2144/fill/w_60,h_56,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/%5B4769%5D%20Catherine%20Johnson%20(61%20of%20101)(3k)%203.jpg)
Catherine W. Johnson, CEO and Principal​
Catherine has over 30 years of experience as an environmental attorney, representing a wide range of businesses, including Fortune 50, Fortune 500, and S&P 500 manufacturing companies in a variety of permitting and compliance matters. She was also lead attorney in both a Superfund case and a Proposition 65 case which are each considered bellweather cases in their fields, and have been the subject of articles in legal journals and the national media. Catherine served as a partner with one of California's leading law firms before founding the environmental boutique law firm, Environmental General Counsel PC (EGC) and EPR Group Consulting. Through EGC, she is an active member of the National Stewardship Action Association's (NSAC) SB 54 Working Group Committee. As a consultant to the U.S. EPA, Catherine supported the rule making process for federal solid waste regulations by drafting preambles to the regulations and assisting in the review and response to public comments. Catherine graduated from Smith College and the University of Virginia School of Law.
Jim D. Werner, Senior Policy Advisor
Jim Werner is an environmental engineer with more than 40 years of technical and policy experience, including heading environmental programs at both the state and federal level. Most recently, Jim managed the Environmental Policy Section of the U.S. Congressional Research Service, advising members of the U.S. Congress on a wide range of issues including climate change and waste management. Jim previously served as Director of Delaware’s Air and Waste Management Division and as Missouri’s Director of Air and Land Management, where, at both agencies, he led successful legislative and administrative initiatives to reduce and recycle wastes. From 1993-2001, Jim served as Director of Environmental Management Policy at the U.S. Department of Energy. Jim also worked for several years in private consulting for corporate and government clients. Jim graduated from the University of Delaware and earned a Masters Degree in Environmental Engineering from Johns Hopkins University.
![[5234] Julia Thrower (EGC)_edited.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d64350_a1b41ba9660042089fd4baed4c46688e~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_5,y_52,w_539,h_501/fill/w_60,h_56,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/%5B5234%5D%20Julia%20Thrower%20(EGC)_edited.jpg)
Dr. Julia Thrower, Senior Scientist
Julia has over 12 years of experience as an environmental attorney and holds a graduate degree in biochemistry. Julia previously served as an attorney in the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), Natural Resources Division, for over nine years, where she was awarded DOJ's highest award, the Special Achievement Award. At EPR Group, she tracks EPR packaging developments across the country with a special focus on recycling and compostability definitions in each state. Julia graduated from Berkeley Law School (formerly Boalt Hall) and holds a PhD in biochemistry from Johns Hopkins University. She was also a post-doctoral fellow in the Chemistry Department at the University of California, Berkeley.
Dr. Heidi Schweizer, Senior Economist
Heidi is a supply chain economist. Her commodities research focuses on production, supply chain management, and transportation. She is the author of numerous academic articles in her field in leading academic journals. She was formerly an Assistant Professor at North Carolina State University where she was a member of the Agricultural and Resource Economics Department. She holds a Masters of Science in Applied Economics from Montana State University and a PhD in Economics from the University of California, Davis.
Emma Roos-Collins, Senior Policy Analyst
Emma tracks and analyzes developments in the EPR laws and manages the development of EPR research materials and presentations, with a special emphasis on California's source reduction requirements and labeling requirements. Emma participates in NSAC’s SB 54 Implementation Working Group’ Committee and is EPR Group's liaison with Product Stewardship Institute. Emma graduated with highest distinction (summa cum laude) with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Economics and Policy from the University of California, Berkeley.
Adrien Thein-Sandler, Senior Policy Analyst
Adrien was previously a planning consultant for an environmental consulting firm, where he conducted statutory and regulatory research, environmental policy analysis, and submitted public comments for emerging regulatory issues. He tracks and analyzes EPR laws in California, Oregon, and Colorado for EPR Group Consulting with a special emphasis in producer responsibility evaluations. Adrien was the recipient of several academic and athletic awards as an undergraduate, including the John Harvard Scholar award given to students who rank in the top 5% of their academic class. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Science and Policy from Harvard University.