The Swedesford Group

Packaging EPR Compliance, Research and Advisory

State packaging fees are squeezing consumer brand margins.

Finance-led packaging EPR compliance, research and advisory for packaged food and beverage, household and personal care, private label and restaurant chains, and the investors who back them.

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Featured research · EPR Coverage Index

[ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY OF THE INDEX FINDING]

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[X]%
[HEADLINE METRIC, e.g. share of likely obligated brands not yet registered]
[N]
[SECOND METRIC, e.g. brands tracked across enacted states]

Source: The Swedesford Group, EPR Coverage Index, [MONTH 2026]

Advisory

Compliance done once checks the box. Done right, it's a cost you can plan, price and reduce.

All advisory services
01

Compile it

Producer determination, packaging data collection, report preparation and submission across every state where you sell.

Registration · Packaging profiles · State reporting

02

Forecast it

Three-to-five-year fee forecasts built from program budgets, industry tonnage and your bill of materials, carried into accruals, budgets and pricing.

Fee forecasting · Accruals · Margin and SKU exposure

03

Reduce it

Pre-submission audits that correct errors before they are billed, and fee modeling for packaging decisions before they are made.

Pre-submission audit · Material substitution · Source reduction

04

Govern it

Supply chain owns the data, regulatory owns the math, finance owns the impact, and an executive sponsor owns accountability, on a calendar that runs from May filing to January invoice.

Program management · Budget ownership · EPR calendar · Packaging decision review

For investors and lenders: EPR exposure in diligence, portfolio-wide fee forecasts, and post-close compliance for acquired brands.

Diligence support

Case study · Pre-submission audit

A multi-brand confectionery group lowered its EPR invoice before it was issued.

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24%
Reduction in reported fees, smaller brand
3
States filed
CMC
Primary error corrected: material classification

Insights

Every number traces back to a published program plan or fee schedule.

All insights
Explainer How packaging EPR money flows From the producer's bill of materials to the PRO invoice to the state program, and where finance teams lose sight of it. Read Fee Forecast [HEADLINE NUMBER]: what Colorado and Oregon fees signal for 2027 Bottoms-up fee math by material category, with the drivers behind state-to-state variance. Read Benchmark · Early findings [HEADLINE FINDING] from the 2026 Financial Execution Benchmark How finance teams budget, accrue and own packaging EPR today. Read
In the Media Grocery Dive · Disruptive new fees will force strategic decisions on much more than packaging, with AlixPartners · May 26, 2026

Who We Serve

One cost, read four different ways.

Investors and lenders Unpriced EPR liability in targets and portfolio companies. Finance teams Forecasts, accruals and margin impact by SKU and state. Compliance, packaging and supply chain Accurate filings, and numbers that hold up when finance asks. Attorneys and advisors Execution and finance work once legal scope is defined.

Start with an EPR Stand-Up or a pre-submission audit.

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