Atlas Circular
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Guides

What circular-economy law already requires you to design for — and what ignoring it will cost.

Every principle here is sourced from enacted and proposed bills — 605 bills across 46 states & regions, read line by line. Scroll to move through each principle; flip any card (↻) to see the source bills. The guide stays current as legislation moves.

Shift to reusable / refillable formats

In practice

  1. 1
    Replace single-use bags with reusable or alternative bag designs.
  2. 2
    Design reusable carryout bags meeting durability and capacity specs to escape fees.
  3. 3
    Design containers for refill or ensure refillable alternatives available.
Fees↓ Lowers

Applies to

PackagingElectronicsTextilesBatteriesOrganics+2

Design for repairability, spare-parts access, and longevity

In practice

  1. 1
    Ensure spare parts availability for product reuse, refurbishment, lifetime extension.
  2. 2
    Adopt highly durable compressors and standardize parts across models.
  3. 3
    Adopt highly durable drive units and long-life parts.
Fees↓ Lowers

Applies to

PackagingElectronicsBatteriesHazardous materialsTextiles+2

Reduce packaging material per unit (lightweight, right-size)

In practice

  1. 1
    Design paper carryout bags with basis weight ≤30 pounds to escape bag fee requirements.
  2. 2
    Achieve source reduction targets for covered plastic packaging.
  3. 3
    Reduce excessive packaging; comply with national mandatory standards.
Fees↑ Raises↓ Lowers

Applies to

PackagingOrganicsElectronicsHazardous materialsBatteries+2

Design packaging to be recyclable in available systems

In practice

  1. 1
    Design packaging for reuse, recycling, or recovery if recycling impossible.
  2. 2
    Design packaging for reuse, recycling, or recovery in sequence.
  3. 3
    Ensure all plastic packaging is reusable or recyclable by 2030.
Fees↑ Raises↓ Lowers

Applies to

PackagingElectronicsBatteriesOrganicsHazardous materials+2

Incorporate post-consumer recycled content

In practice

  1. 1
    Incorporate minimum 25% post-consumer recycled plastic by 2026.
  2. 2
    Incorporate minimum 10% post-consumer recycled content in carpet.
  3. 3
    Incorporate minimum 15% post-consumer recycled PET in bottles.
Fees↑ Raises↓ Lowers

Applies to

PackagingElectronicsTextilesBatteriesOrganics+2

Use certified-compostable materials where specified

In practice

  1. 1
    If compostable, label 'compostable only under industrial composting' per IS/ISO 17088:2021.
  2. 2
    Label carpet 'compostable' per Section 42357 to exempt from coverage.
  3. 3
    Use compostable green, agricultural, food, or vegetative materials to qualify for excluded activity exemption.
Fees↓ Lowers

Applies to

PackagingOrganicsBiobasedElectronicsTextiles+2

Avoid banned / restricted materials and formats

In practice

  1. 1
    Eliminate microplastic particles from cosmetic product formulations.
  2. 2
    Eliminate single-use plastic carryout bags by January 1, 2024.
  3. 3
    Do not use plastic for cotton buds, cutlery, plates, straws, stirrers, balloon sticks.
Fees↑ Raises

Applies to

PackagingOrganicsElectronicsTextilesHazardous materials+2

Eliminate restricted substances (PFAS, heavy metals, etc.)

In practice

  1. 1
    Do not intentionally add mercury to any product.
  2. 2
    Ensure batteries contain ≤0.0005 wt% mercury regardless of form.
  3. 3
    Remove lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, PBB, PBDE from EEE.
Fees↑ Raises↓ Lowers

Applies to

PackagingElectronicsHazardous materialsBatteriesOrganics+2

Apply required recyclability / disposal labeling

In practice

  1. 1
    Add chemical symbols (Hg, Cd, Pb) below bin symbol if mercury >0.0005%, cadmium >0.002%, or lead >0.004%.
  2. 2
    Label all batteries with crossed-out wheeled bin symbol and chemical symbols (Hg, Cd, Pb) where applicable.
  3. 3
    Label recycled packaging with percentage recycled content per IS 14534:2023.
Fees↑ Raises↓ Lowers

Applies to

PackagingElectronicsBatteriesHazardous materialsOrganics+2

The full Design Guide

Pro

Each card above shows the headline imperative for one design lever. This is the full stack — every imperative, the exact numeric targets (percentages, dates), and the verbatim statutory language behind each line. Print-ready and kept current as bills move.

Need this scoped to your own products and the states you sell in — your SKUs mapped to the exact imperatives and deadlines that hit them? We build that per engagement.

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