Advocacy

SGIA staff participated in a webinar hosted by the Great Lakes Graphics Association (GLGA) that addressed recent changes to the air pollution control regulations for printing operations with lithographic printing presses. The webinar focused on the rule changes, certification requirements, air permit requirements, air permitting reporting requirements, options and resources available for compliance assistance.

SGIA accepted an invitation to speak at the Inadvertently Produced PCBs in Inks and Pigments Workshop in Spokane, WA. The goal of the workshop was to explore actions to keep PCBs from entering the Spokane River from printed products produced using inks that contain inadvertent PCBs. No final approaches were identified, and work will continue on identifying options for reducing PCB discharges into the river.

In 2018, the Washington State legislature passed, and the Governor signed into law a program to address use of certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in food packaging as of January 1, 2022, pending an alternatives assessment. The tentative scoping strategy limits the scope of the assessment to paper wraps and liners. The Department is also considering adding bags and sleeves to this scope.

Vermont has revised its Chemicals of High Concern in Children’s Products Rule to disclose information about these chemicals to the Health Department. The new amendments add 20 chemicals to the CHCC list, which now contains 86 CCHC. The new provisions became effective on August 15, 2019.

The US Department of Labor has issued a final rule establishing new overtime regulations. The rule states, that unless specifically exempted, employees covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) must receive pay for hours worked in excess of 40 in a workweek at a rate not less than one and one-half their regular rates of pay.

The province of Ontario is shifting the costs of its EPR program – from municipal taxpayers to producers of products and packaging collected through its Blue Box Program. It is expected that the program, administered by the province’s Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks, will be more consistent.

In 2019, the Maine State Legislature passed a “Resolve to Support Maine Recycling Programs” which directed the Maine Department of Environmental Protection to develop legislation to establish an extended producer responsibility law for packaging sold in that state. SGIA submitted comments in September 2019 posing many clarifying questions aimed at the logistics of this legislation.

Near the end of 2017, Ohio EPA amended their Universal Waste regulations to include several wastes that are commonly generated by businesses. When Ohio EPA proposed to add paint and paint-related wastes to the state regulated list, SGIA along with the Printing Industries of Ohio and Northern Kentucky asked that ink and ink-related wastes also be included under this category. Ohio EPA declined, but stated that ink and ink-related waste would qualify as a paint and paint-related waste.

SGIA joined in with other trade groups representing printing, paper, and retail operations strongly opposing a bill being considered by the California legislature that essentially would ban paper receipts. One of the primary concerns was the required data collection and subsequent protection of it. California has strict regulations on data privacy and that lead to the bill ultimately being dropped.

After many years of effort by SGIA and the Great Lakes Graphics Association, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources completed its rulemaking to streamline the air pollution control regulations that printers with a lithographic printing press need to meet. The rule revisions become effective July 1.