We help manufacturers, importers, distributors, retailers, service providers, and producers navigate the fast-changing demands of extended producer responsibility (EPR), chemical regulation, and product stewardship.  Combining deep regulatory knowledge and technical fluency in chemicals and chemical engineering, we provide our clients with end-to-end materials compliance support across U.S. and EU regimes, helping mitigate risk across regulatory, commercial, and reputational dimensions. From core chemical laws to state-level EPR and PFAS initiatives, we deliver tailored, forward-thinking advice that enables clients to operate confidently in a rapidly evolving regulatory landscape. 

Extended Producer Responsibility

EPR shifts the responsibility of managing the disposition of post-consumer materials from taxpayers and municipalities to retailers and manufacturers. Producers of these materials may be required to fund and arrange recycling services in exchange for the right to sell or distribute products. While EPR is not a new concept, it continues to evolve in both scope and complexity, with an increasing number of U.S. jurisdictions adopting legislation that applies to paper and plastic packaging. 

King & Spalding’s cutting-edge EPR practice has been at the forefront of EPR long before the first state, Maine, passed a comprehensive EPR packaging law in 2021. The firm’s EPR practice, which serves clients including producers and service providers, extends beyond paper and plastics to batteries, electronics recycling and other product stewardship. 

Chemical Regulation & Product Stewardship

We help clients manage compliance with complex and evolving global chemicals regulations, including California’s Proposition 65; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA); the EU’s Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH); Classification, Labeling and Packaging (CLP); Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS); and pesticide and hazardous substances regulations. Our team has advised clients on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) issues for more than 25 years, and we advise on high-risk and emerging substances – such as trichloroethylene (TCE), ethylene oxide (EtO) and phthalates, among others, and support clients through inspections, enforcement actions and reporting obligations. Our team brings deep regulatory experience to our clients, including advising on federal, state, and EU regulatory developments, transaction risk, supply chain identification, and litigation strategy. As governments rapidly expand restrictions, reporting requirements, and product bans, we help clients anticipate and respond to evolving obligations while mitigating legal and reputational exposure.

We advise manufacturers, importers, distributors, and retailers across the product lifecycle and supply chain – developing compliance strategies, conducting assessments, responding to enforcement, and engaging on proposed regulations.

We maintain a strong practice for pesticides, guiding clients through Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) requirements, including product registration, EPA label negotiations, import/export compliance, and enforcement matters. We advise on exemptions, emergency authorizations, and EPA/FDA overlap to help bring products to market efficiently and compliantly.

Consumer Product Safety

Our consumer product safety practice supports clients in meeting stringent Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) requirements, including testing, certification, reporting, and recall management. With increasing scrutiny on imports and e-commerce platforms – especially with enhanced electronic compliance requirements – we guide clients through regulatory changes while minimizing enforcement and liability risks. Our team’s experience spans a broad array of products and includes senior former CPSC leadership, enabling us to deliver strategic, practical solutions across the product lifecycle.