On June 22, 2026, a coalition of 17 states led by Nebraska’s attorney general (AG) plus the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors (NAW), filed a federal lawsuit in the Eastern District of California, challenging the constitutionality of SB 54 (or the Act), California’s extended producer responsibility (EPR) law for packaging. Defendants include the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle), that agency’s head, and the Circular Action Alliance (CAA), the Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) selected by California to implement SB 54. Notably, NAW filed a similar lawsuit last year against Oregon’s EPR law.
This litigation follows a more narrowly focused lawsuit filed in the San Francisco Superior Court on June 2, 2026, by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Californians Against Waste (CAW) Foundation, and Oceana, against CalRecycle and the agency’s head.
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