As ISPA previously reported, the California State Legislature passed legislation this year to restrict the methods manufacturers may use to make recycled content claims. ISPA joined a large coalition that encouraged Governor Newsom to veto AB 2253.

AB 2253 would have banned the use of credit-based mass balance accounting, including free allocation, “book-and-claim” accounting, or similar approaches to make recycled content claims. Mass balance is a globally used standard created and third-party certified by the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC).

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.  

ISPA anticipates the introduction of similar legislation during the 2027 California Legislative Session.