June 22, 2026
Carr Challenges California’s Plastics Acts Over State Sovereignty and Economic Impacts
ATLANTA, GA – Attorney General Chris Carr has joined a 17-state coalition and the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors (NAW) in challenging California’s Plastics Act to defend the interests of producers and consumers nationwide.
California’s law, formally known as the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act (“the Plastics Act”), seeks to impose extensive requirements on manufacturers, distributors, and companies that package or ship products in plastic containers or use other types of packaging materials that merely incorporate plastics, including aluminum, cardboard, paper, glass and even wood. The law will lead to increased costs that are passed on to consumers – making basic necessities more expensive for everyone. For this reason, the attorneys general and the NAW have filed suit to stop the enforcement of the Plastics Act – alleging violations of both the U.S. Constitution and the California Constitution.
“California has no right to tell us how to manage our businesses here in Georgia, and yet that’s exactly what the Plastics Act attempts to do,” said Attorney General Chris Carr. “This is an unconstitutional mandate from West Coast elites, who are fine with asking everyday Americans to pay more just so they can advance an activist agenda. It’s regulatory overreach, and we’re fighting back to protect Georgia producers and consumers.”
The Plastics Act conditions access to California’s markets on radical changes to packaging design, production, and waste disposal – forcing businesses across the country to comply with California’s contrived environmental preferences. The law reaches far beyond California, impacting virtually every business that uses plastic packaging, regardless of their home state. The economic ramifications are significant. The Plastics Act’s onerous requirements are expected to drive up prices on everyday goods, disproportionately affecting low-income and vulnerable populations.
“California is not entitled to pronounce nationwide policies,” said Eric Hoplin, President and CEO of NAW. “Because the Act extends California’s regulatory reach far beyond its borders and brings within its sweep conduct wholly unconnected to California, the Act violates principles of federalism, the horizontal separation of powers, and due process.”
Concerned States also highlight the Act’s delegation of regulatory and enforcement powers to the unelected Action Alliance, an unaccountable private organization. With minimal oversight from California, the Alliance is empowered to collect up to $500 million annually from businesses seeking access to California’s market, raising concerns about transparency and accountability.
Joining Carr in filing this lawsuit are the attorneys general of Alabama, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia.
Read a copy of the complaint .