U.S. Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) is currently reviewing “advanced recycling” legislation that could help shape the future of Indiana’s plastics manufacturing sector, which supports more than 36,500 jobs across 480 facilities.
“Our office is aware of the Recycled Materials Attribution Act and is reviewing it closely,” Matt Lahr, Communications Director for Young, told Hoosier State Today. “Manufacturers need clear, workable rules as recycling technologies and claims about recycled materials continue to evolve, particularly where existing federal guidance has not kept pace with the marketplace.”
The legislation, H.R. 7502, the Recycled Materials Attribution Act of 2026, would establish new nationwide standards for how companies market products made with recycled materials as Congress considers a broader overhaul of recycled-content regulations and environmental claims rules. It would set federal standards for advertising and marketing recycled-content products and direct the Federal Trade Commission to update its environmental marketing guidance.
Young’s office said the senator is closely monitoring the proposal as it advances through Congress.
According to the legislation’s text, its purpose is “to prohibit a person from making a misleading recycled content claim in advertising, marketing, selling, or offering for sale a product to a consumer, and for other purposes.”
Supporters say the measure would create a uniform federal framework for recycled-content claims, offering greater certainty for manufacturers, recyclers and investors while reducing conflicting state regulations as recycling technologies evolve and state requirements vary.
Advocates also contend the legislation could help spur growth in recycling infrastructure and advanced recycling technologies.
An analysis by the America’s Plastic Makers (APM) found that redirecting 50% of plastics in the municipal solid waste stream from landfills to recycling facilities could support 173,200 jobs, $12.8 billion in annual payroll, and $48.7 billion in annual economic output nationwide.
Recycling facilities alone are projected to support more than 43,000 direct jobs and generate $16.4 billion in economic output. the analysis showed.
H.R. 7502 is designed to prohibit misleading recycled-content claims while establishing national standards for how those claims are substantiated and communicated to consumers.
A central provision of the legislation is its recognition of “mass balance accounting” as an acceptable method for verifying recycled content. The bill defines mass balance accounting as “a valid chain-of-custody methodology” that allows manufacturers to mix recycled and conventional feedstocks while tracking and allocating recycled content to final products based on documented inputs and outputs.
Clean shredded plastic foils used as feedstock for advanced recycling technologies are shown. The growing sector is at the center of a federal bill under review for its potential impact on Indiana manufacturing. (Wikimedia Commons / Barphilosof)
Under the proposal, “mass balance accounting” could be used to substantiate recycled-content claims if it complies with requirements established through a third-party certification system.
The legislation also expands the federal definition of recycling to include both traditional mechanical recycling and advanced, non-mechanical recycling technologies. It states that recycling includes “non-mechanical recycling, in which a material is collected, sorted, cleaned, and transformed through technology that alters the chemical structure of the material and that produces an output used to manufacture products.”
Advanced recycling processes break down used plastics into raw chemical building blocks that can be reused in manufacturing new products, allowing certain hard-to-recycle plastics to be diverted from landfills and reintroduced into the supply chain.
The legislation also specifies that “fuels produced and sold as an end product may not be marketed as ‘recycled content’ under this Act.”
Within one year of enactment, the bill would require the FTC to update its Green Guides, the agency’s environmental marketing guidelines, to align with the new standards. The agency would also be directed to develop a clear framework governing recycled-content claims, calling for “a clear and consistent framework” establishing how companies may advertise and market products using accurate recycled-content claims.
Violations involving misleading recycled-content claims would be treated as unfair or deceptive acts under the Federal Trade Commission Act and subject to FTC enforcement.
The proposal would also establish federal preemption over state laws in areas covered by the legislation.
“No State, or political subdivision of a State, may maintain, enforce, prescribe, or continue in effect any law, rule, regulation, requirement, standard, or other provision having the force and effect of law that relates to the prohibition and enforcement provisions of this Act,” the bill’s text states.
The measure’s potential impact is notable in Indiana, where plastics manufacturing remains a significant component of the state’s industrial economy. The sector supports approximately 36,500 jobs paying an average annual wage of $62,340, according to a separate analysis from APM.
A Berry Global manufacturing facility in Indiana. Headquartered in Evansville, the multi-billion-dollar, publicly traded global corporation is one of the state’s largest plastics manufacturers and a major employer in Indiana’s plastics sector. (Daviess County Indiana EDC)
Introduced in the House by U.S. Rep. Nicholas A. Langworthy (R-NY), the bill remains under review by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Young’s office noted the legislation has not been introduced in the Senate, where the senator is still evaluating its potential benefits and impact on Indiana stakeholders.
“The bill remains in the House and has not been introduced in the Senate,” Lahr said. “Senator Young is evaluating both the certainty the bill could provide and the practical impact it could have on Hoosier workers, manufacturers, consumers, and local communities.”
Young has represented Indiana in the Senate since 2017 after serving three terms in the U.S. House for Indiana’s 9th Congressional District. A graduate of the United States Naval Academy, he served as a Marine Corps intelligence officer before entering public service roles, including working on the staff of former U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.). He holds advanced degrees from the University of Chicago and the University of London, as well as a law degree from Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law.
