The United States has ended a federal programme designed to promote paper and paper-based packaging after industry participants voted against continuing it.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed on 9 March 2026 that it has terminated the Paper and Paper-Based Packaging Promotion, Research and Information Order, bringing the long-running paper packaging promotion programme and its associated regulations to a close.
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The move follows a 2025 industry referendum in which manufacturers and importers did not support the programme’s continuation.
Industry vote ends the programme
The USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service issued a final rule formally terminating the federal paper and paper-based packaging promotion programme. The programme had operated under a regulatory order that allowed the sector to fund joint marketing, research and information activities through mandatory industry contributions.
In July 2025, eligible domestic manufacturers and importers were asked to vote on whether the programme should continue.
To remain in place, the programme required majority support from participating companies and the production volume they represented. The vote did not meet those thresholds, meaning the programme had to be terminated under federal rules.
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By GlobalDataFollowing the referendum result, the USDA moved to end the order and the regulations that governed the programme.
How the paper packaging promotion scheme worked
The paper packaging research and promotion programme was launched in 2014 as part of the United States’ “check-off” system for commodity industries. These programmes allow sectors to pool funding for market research, promotion and consumer information campaigns under federal oversight.
Under the paper packaging scheme, domestic manufacturers and importers that produced or imported at least 100,000 short tons of paper or paper-based packaging each year paid an assessment of 35 cents per ton.
The funds supported marketing campaigns, research projects and consumer education aimed at increasing demand for paper packaging.
The programme was managed by the Paper and Packaging Board, an industry body overseen by the USDA.
Impact on the paper packaging sector
With the termination of the order, the Paper and Packaging Board and the federal framework supporting the programme are being wound down. The mandatory assessments collected from large paper manufacturers and importers have also been discontinued.
The closure means the United States no longer operates a federal paper packaging promotion programme, although other commodity sectors still run similar initiatives through the USDA.
These programmes are funded and governed by the industries they represent, and their continuation depends on periodic industry votes.
For companies in the paper packaging industry, the decision marks the end of more than a decade of coordinated promotion and research efforts carried out through the federal programme.
