Bill · S. 5674· Senate(119-S-5674)
Recycled Materials Attribution Act of 2026
- Introduced
- 9/30/2026
- Last activity
- 9/30/2026 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- Sponsored by
- John Curtis
- Cosponsors
- None
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The bill is known as the Recycled Materials Attribution Act of 2026. It stops people from making misleading recycled content claims when they advertise, market, sell, or offer products to consumers. The bill clarifies that mass balance accounting can be used to back up recycled content claims if it follows a third-party certification system. It gives the Federal Trade Commission the power to enforce these rules and update the Green Guides. Additionally, the bill prevents states from making or enforcing their own laws regarding these specific prohibitions and enforcement provisions.
Yes
Does this give people more protection from unfair business practices?+6
The bill protects consumers from deceptive and misleading recycled content claims in advertising and marketing.
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?+5
The bill clarifies standards for mass balance accounting and requires the FTC to update the Green Guides to ensure marketing clarity.
Does this better protect air, water and wildlife?+4
The bill establishes federal standards and third-party certification requirements for recycled content claims to prevent greenwashing.
The opposite
Does this leave more decisions to the states?-5
The bill explicitly preempts state and local laws regarding recycled content prohibitions and enforcement.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Section 4(a)(1) prohibits anyone from advertising, marketing, selling, or offering a product to a consumer using a misleading recycled content claim. This protects folks from being tricked by false advertising when trying to buy genuinely recycled items.
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Section 4(a)(2) stops fuels produced and sold as an end product from being marketed as having "recycled content." This ensures that consumers are not misled about the actual nature of the fuel products they purchase.
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Section 4(b)(1) requires the Federal Trade Commission to update the Green Guides within one year of the Act being enacted. This keeps environmental marketing guidelines clear and consistent with the new standards established by this law.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Section 6 states that no State, or political subdivision of a State, may maintain or enforce any law, rule, regulation, or standard that relates to the prohibition and enforcement provisions of this Act. This strips local and state governments of their ability to set their own rules on recycled content claims, leaving it entirely up to the federal level.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Consumer Protection+6
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Improves Environmental Protections+4
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Government Transparency+5Increase States Rights-5
- 9/30/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- Introduced in Senate