In California,  AB 2253 would limit the methods manufacturers may use to make substantiate recycled content claims. The Assembly Appropriations Committee advanced the bill, making it eligible for a vote by the full California State Assembly. ISPA joined a broad coalition of concerned stakeholders in opposition to AB 2253, and signed onto a floor alert urging Assembly members to oppose the measure.

AB 2253 prohibits the use of credit-based mass balance accounting, including free allocation, “book-and-claim” accounting, or similar approaches. Mass balance is a globally used standard created and third-party certified by the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification. A mass balance calculation of post-consumer recycled content tracks the total amount of recycled material entering a production system and allocates it proportionally across finished products based on overall input and output volumes. Mass balance is commonly used to track and measure plastic building block materials made from advanced recycling processes that are mixed with other materials to create new products.  

AB 2253 is a negative reaction to legislation proposed at the federal level, namely the Recycled Materials Attribution Act , which ISPA supports as it would grant federal recognition to advanced recycling techniques and mass balance accounting. If enacted, AB 2253 would make it difficult for manufacturers to make recycled content claims with materials derived from advanced recycling technologies.