Tuleyome's Policy Corner - Assembly Bill 1201
Michae Fennell • December 21, 2021
Photo by David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
This October, a new law was put into effect by Governor Gavin Newsom regarding the way companies were able to market their environmentally friendly products to consumers. Previously existing laws banned any plastic item labeled as “compostable”, or “biodegradable”, to prevent consumers from believing that their plastic could break down. ‘Plastic’ being defined as anything that contained plastic or a combination of plastic and something else. The exception to this rule was that if a plastic product met certain standards and received certification, it would be allowed to use that terminology.
Assembly Bill 1201 is removing the limitation of only plastic to this rule, and is changing the language from “plastic” to “product”. The consumer product includes a range of items beyond plastic, and will stop suppliers from falsely labeling something or misleading you into believing that something is environmentally friendly. All consumer products will now be required to meet certification standards that allow them to have the specific language on packaging and marketing materials.
You might be wondering how that impacts you. One big way is your takeaway containers. You may believe that a restaurant has compostable containers for you to use, and they may very well be, but the authenticity of that claim will now be verifiable where it previously may not have been. Additionally, compostable and non-compostable options will be clearly separated for your ease.
The certification will come from, according to the bill, a third-party entity that will meet CalRecycle set standards. This specific requirement for certification will be enacted into law on January 1st, 2024.
Interested in reading more? Find the contents of the full bill here.
-Michae Fennell; mfennell@tuleyome.org
Engagement and Advocacy Intern
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