Dive Brief: - Circular Action Alliance has opened the public comment period on its draft certification standard for responsible end markets, a component of most extended producer responsibility laws for packaging in the U.S. - The REM standard would require certain businesses in the recycling value chain to show that recycled materials are being handled in a way that minimizes environmental and public health risks. CAA’s draft lays out the process for verifying these “responsible” claims. - Some packaging EPR states already have REM verification provisions, but the CAA draft standard is meant to uunify those requirements to ensure a consistent process across the country. The public comment period is open through July 7. Dive Insight: REM requirements are an important facet of packaging EPR because they’re meant to make recycling systems more transparent and trackable. The concept was born in part to fight dumping, especially after China imposed recycling import bans in 2017 and other countries followed suit, raising more public awareness of the role some U.S. recycling systems played in exporting waste to other countries. REMs can help rebuild trust in the recycling system by providing a “clear and credible framework that supports regulatory requirements while giving interest holders confidence in how recycling outcomes are defined, evaluated and verified,” said Victoria Norman, executive director of SCS Standards and Assurance Systems, in a statement. SCS, a standard development organization for sustainability certification programs, is working with CAA to develop the draft. A standard development committee made up of a range of trade groups, recyclers and state agencies, also offered input on the draft. In the seven states that have passed an EPR for packaging law, all but Maine’s program include REM provisions. The specifics vary from state to state, but most players in the recycling value chain — starting