Packaging EPR compliance for growing consumer brands.
CertaRelay manages packaging data, supplier follow-up, multistate reporting and ongoing compliance operations, without adding software or an internal EPR team.
- One organized packaging record across applicable EPR programs
- Hands-on supplier outreach and missing-data follow-up
- Human-reviewed reporting preparation and deadline management
- Client-owned documentation without platform lock-in
Not sure where you stand? Run the free 2-minute exposure check for an instant state-by-state readout.
EPR is a packaging-data operations problem. Filing is the last step.
Every report depends on knowing what each SKU is packed in, what every component weighs, which supplier proved it, and how many units went to each state. That information is rarely in one place. CertaRelay finds it, fills the gaps and keeps it current.
One packaging record
- SKUMapped to its packaging configuration
- COMPMaterial, format and weight per component
- EVIDSource behind every value
- STATEUnits allocated by program and data year
- LOGAssumptions and open items tracked
The problems we are hired to fix.
Most growing brands have at least three of these. None of them are solved by another dashboard.
Missed or incomplete filings
Registrations or reports that were never finished, or filed with estimates no one can trace.
Data scattered everywhere
Packaging details split across spreadsheets, PDFs, email threads and supplier portals.
Missing weights and materials
Component weights and material classifications that were never captured.
SKU to packaging confusion
No clear record of which packaging configuration belongs to which SKU.
No link to state sales
Packaging data that cannot be tied to units sold into each state.
Supplier follow-up stalls
Contract manufacturers and suppliers who do not answer the first request.
2027 fee uncertainty
Finance needs a number before programs invoice.
California plastic data
Plastic component and source-reduction data that California's targets depend on.
Assess. Build. Maintain.
Start with a fixed-price assessment. Continue with managed operations only if it makes sense.
Assess
Know your states, your reporting status and exactly what data is missing.
- Applicable-state and status review
- Packaging-data gap assessment
- Missing supplier-information list
- Fixed proposal for ongoing support
Build
Turn scattered files into one defensible packaging record.
- Supplier and co-man outreach
- SKU and component mapping
- State-sales coordination
- Evidence and assumptions log
Maintain
Reports prepared, deadlines met, changes tracked year after year.
- Reports entered in your CAA portal, ready for your sign-off
- Deadline and registration management
- Fee-forecasting support
- PRO correspondence support
Seven state programs. Different stages, different rules.
Program status, definitions and deadlines differ by state and change often. Here is where each stands today.
California
SB 54Permanent regulations took effect May 2026. CAA's producer responsibility plan is under CalRecycle review, with a decision expected in late December 2026.
Regulations in effectColorado
HB 22-1355Participation required to sell since July 2025. Annual dues on covered materials began January 2026.
Dues in effectOregon
Recycling Modernization ActOperating since July 2025. Prior-year supply data is due to CAA every May 31.
Fees in effectMaine
Stewardship ProgramRules adopted. DEP is revising its stewardship organization solicitation.
Schedule on holdMinnesota
Packaging Waste and Cost Reduction ActNeeds assessment phase. Stewardship plan due October 1, 2028; producers fund 50% of costs from February 2029.
Needs assessmentMaryland
Producer Responsibility Plans ActCOMAR 26.04.14 in effect. CAA registration was due May 31, 2026. Supplement packaging is covered.
Regulations finalWashington
Recycling Reform ActPRO membership required since July 1, 2026. 2027 early fees published. Non-members barred from March 1, 2029.
Membership requiredWhat you actually receive.
State and status map
Where you may be obligated and what is due, with the basis noted.
Packaging record
Every SKU and component with material, format and weight.
Evidence index
The supplier spec, declaration or measurement behind each value.
Supplier tracker
Who was asked for what, when, and what came back.
Report-ready files
Prepared in each program's categories for your approval.
Deadline calendar
Registration, reporting and payment dates by program.
Assumptions log
Every estimate documented and replaced when evidence arrives.
Fee forecast
Planning estimates and scenarios for finance.
Someone has to do the work. That is the service.
Software organizes data your team still has to collect. Consulting tells you what to do. CertaRelay does it.
| Self-serve software | Traditional consulting | CertaRelay | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who collects supplier data | Your team | Usually your team | We do, as part of managed service |
| Implementation | Onboarding and training | Discovery workshops | None. We start from your files |
| Pricing | Subscription plus seats | Hourly or open-ended | Fixed and published |
| Your records | Live inside the platform | In slide decks | Delivered to you, fully owned |
| Accountability | Support ticket queue | Rotating team | One named service owner |
Know what the first step costs before you begin.
EPR Readiness & Data Assessment
Up to $2,200 for 250 SKUs. Custom quote above that. Delivered in 7 business days.
- Applicable-state and reporting-status review
- Packaging-data gap assessment
- Missing supplier-information list
- Fixed proposal for ongoing support
Supplier outreach to collect missing data is included with managed service.
Get Your EPR AssessmentManaged Packaging EPR Operations
Fixed annual price based on SKUs, suppliers, entities and data condition. 1, 2 or 3 year terms with your rate locked.
- Supplier specification collection and follow-up
- SKU and packaging-component mapping
- Reports entered in your CAA portal, ready for your sign-off
- Deadline, registration and fee-forecasting support
Government fees, PRO dues, legal services, laboratory testing, historical remediation and third-party costs are not included.
Built for brands with real complexity and no EPR team.
Typically $10M to $150M in revenue, 30 to 300 active SKUs, several packaging suppliers or contract manufacturers, and sales across multiple EPR states.
Small plastic components, pumps, droppers, decorated cartons and gift sets.
Bottles, closures, induction seals, desiccants and cartons from many suppliers.
Mixed-material formats, multipacks and high unit volumes.
Rigid plastics, refills, trigger sprayers and corrugated shippers.
Questions brands ask first.
What is packaging EPR?
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging requires companies that supply packaged products into certain states to register with an approved program, report the packaging they put into the market and pay fees that fund recycling. Seven states have enacted programs. See the State Hub.
Do I need to do anything if I already registered with CAA?
Usually, yes. Registration is the start, not the finish. Programs also require supply reports built from packaging and sales data, and those reports recur every year. What CAA registration does and does not complete.
What does the assessment include and cost?
It is $1,000 for up to 50 active SKUs, $1,400 for 51 to 100, $1,800 for 101 to 150 and $2,200 for 151 to 250; larger catalogs are quoted. It covers an applicable-state and reporting-status review, a packaging-data gap assessment, a registration and deadline check, a missing supplier-information list, recommended next steps and a fixed proposal for ongoing support. The full fee is credited toward managed service if you proceed within 60 days, and refunded in full if we find you are not obligated in any EPR state. Most assessments are delivered within 7 business days of complete files. Assessment details.
Do we need to buy or learn software?
No. CertaRelay works from your business-system exports, sales reports, packaging specifications, supplier records and existing spreadsheets. You get organized records you own, with no platform lock-in.
Is CertaRelay a law firm or a PRO?
No. CertaRelay provides packaging-data management, reporting preparation and compliance-operations support. We do not provide legal advice. Producer Responsibility Organizations run state programs; counsel interprets the law. We prepare the data and records both depend on.
Who approves what gets submitted?
You do. Your company controls its program accounts, approves every report and signs any required certifications. On managed service, CertaRelay enters your reports in the CAA Producer Portal as a reporting contact you add; your authorized representative reviews and submits.
Do you still offer retail deduction recovery?
Yes, as a separate secondary service. See Retail Recovery.
Also from CertaRelay: Retail Recovery. Managed retail deduction recovery for CPG brands, plus a public library of retailer deduction codes.
Find out what your packaging data is missing.
The EPR Readiness & Data Assessment, from $1,000, reviews your states, reporting status and data gaps, and ends with a fixed proposal. Delivered in 7 business days, credited if you proceed within 60 days and refunded if you are not obligated.