The rules that reach a company like yours, in three piles.
Applies directly. Through your customers. Watch. Each rule carries its status, its date, its source and the information it needs. Nothing here is a countdown.
Requirements the company itself must meet.
SB 54 · packaging producer responsibilityCalifornia · Regulations effective 1 May 2026.in force
Regulations effective 1 May 2026. Producers register and report through the producer responsibility organisation.
Applies if: Over $1M in California sales of covered packaging.
- Packaging materials by category and weight, per product
- Recyclability or compostability status
- Post-consumer recycled content
FTC Green Guides · environmental claimsFederal · Applies to any recyclable, compostable, carbon-neutral or similar claim on pack or online..in force
Applies to any recyclable, compostable, carbon-neutral or similar claim on pack or online.
Applies if: The company makes an environmental claim anywhere a customer can read it.
- Substantiation for each claim
- Qualifiers where the claim covers part of a product
AB 1305 · voluntary carbon claimsCalifornia · From 1 January 2025, a company that claims net zero or carbon neutral, or buys offsets, publishes how the claim was determined..in force
From 1 January 2025, a company that claims net zero or carbon neutral, or buys offsets, publishes how the claim was determined.
Applies if: The company makes a net-zero or carbon-neutral claim, or sells or buys offsets, in California.
- How the claim was determined and whether a third party assessed it
- Offset project details, if offsets are used
Requirements on large buyers that arrive as supplier-data requests.
SB 253 · climate corporate dataCalifornia · Companies over $1B report Scope 1 and 2 from 10 November 2026 and Scope 3 from 2027.in force
Companies over $1B report Scope 1 and 2 from 10 November 2026 and Scope 3 from 2027. It reaches smaller companies through retailers that report their suppliers.
Applies if: You supply a retailer or manufacturer over $1B that does business in California.
- Scope 1 and 2 total for the year
- Energy, fuel and freight figures behind it
- Packaging and ingredient weights for the buyer's Scope 3
Retailer supplier programmesBuyers · Whole Foods, Costco, Sprouts and Target send supplier forms.in force
Whole Foods, Costco, Sprouts and Target send supplier forms. Around eleven questions, mostly the same ones.
Applies if: You sell through a national or regional retailer with a supplier standard.
- Emissions, packaging, sourcing, certifications, labour, water
EU CSRD · via any EU customerEuropean Union · A large EU customer reports its value chain.in force
A large EU customer reports its value chain. For a supplier under 1,000 employees, the VSME Basic Module is the most it may ask for.
Applies if: You sell to a company that reports under the EU directive.
- VSME basic datapoints B1 to B11
EU deforestation regulationEuropean Union · Only if cocoa, coffee, soy or palm oil are in the product and it is sold into the EU.phased
Only if cocoa, coffee, soy or palm oil are in the product and it is sold into the EU. It arrives as a customer request for traceability.
Applies if: A covered commodity is in the product and an EU customer buys it.
- Plot-level origin for covered commodities
In litigation, transition or proposal. Never shown as an obligation.
SB 261 · climate-risk reportCalifornia · Enforcement enjoined 18 November 2025; the merits are unresolved.enjoined
Enforcement enjoined 18 November 2025; the merits are unresolved. Applies above $500M revenue if it survives.
Applies if: Nothing now.
- Nothing now
SEC climate disclosure ruleFederal · Stayed, and no longer defended by the Commission.stayed
Stayed, and no longer defended by the Commission. Watch only.
Applies if: Nothing now.
- Nothing now
EU Green Claims DirectiveEuropean Union · Status uncertain since 2025.uncertain
Status uncertain since 2025. The separate Empowering Consumers rules on generic claims apply from 27 September 2026 for EU sales.
Applies if: Nothing now unless selling into the EU.
- Nothing now unless selling into the EU
Requirements for a packaged food company in California: 3 direct · 4 through customers · 3 watch.
How a rule turns into work you can finish.
- Every rule names the information it needs, in the same words the record and the outputs use.
- A buyer questionnaire is a rule reaching you through a customer. Most of its questions are the same ones the law asks the buyer.
- Statuses are read from the source on the date shown. Proposed, stayed or enjoined rules sit in the watch pile and ask nothing of you now.
- Plain-language briefs: SB 253, SB 261, SB 54. Every term on this page is in Definitions.
YKO analyses and assesses. It does not audit, verify, assure or certify, and it does not say a company is compliant.
It says which information each rule needs, and where that information is.