Recycled Materials Attribution Act of 2026

New rules for recycled product claims

This bill would set national definitions for recycled materials and recycled-content claims. Manufacturers would get clear definitions for recycled, recycled content, post-consumer, and pre-consumer material. Recycling would include mechanical and non-mechanical processes and would exclude waste-to-energy used mainly to make heat or electricity. The bill would allow mass-balance accounting to mix alternative feedstocks with conventional feedstocks and allocate recycled mass to final products using documented inputs and outputs. Independent third-party certifiers would have to verify that recycled content does not exceed recovered materials, account for process losses, and maintain an auditable chain of custody. If enacted, these rules would likely make product labeling clearer for consumers and add compliance and certification costs for businesses.