August 11, 2026|Product Liability Insider
In California League of Food Producers et al. v. Bonta, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California issued a preliminary injunction barring enforcement of California’s SB 343, commonly known as the “Truth-in-Recycling” law, less than three months before its October 4, 2026 effective date. The court found that the plaintiffs were likely to succeed on claims that portions of the law are unconstitutionally vague and that certain restrictions on recyclability claims may violate the First Amendment.
While the ruling provides significant relief to the industry groups that brought the challenge, companies should be cautious about viewing the decision as a permanent rollback of SB 343. The injunction is preliminary, the litigation remains pending, and the court has not yet reached a final decision on the law’s validity.
The broader significance of the ruling may lie in its reasoning. The court questioned whether businesses can reasonably determine compliance with several of SB 343’s recyclability standards and whether the statute improperly restricts truthful commercial speech. Those constitutional concerns could provide a framework for future challenges brought by other parties facing similar recycling-labeling restrictions.
California League of Food Producers v. Bonta does not eliminate SB 343, it creates substantial uncertainty surrounding California’s recyclability-labeling regime and may encourage additional challenges to the law as the case proceeds.
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