California Governor Vetoes Bill Tightening Green Claims on Products
What happened
On September 28, 2026, Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed AB 2253, a bill that sought to reduce greenwashing by tightening requirements for packaging and products making recycled content claims. The legislation would have required that products making recycled content claims conform to the Green Guides, the Federal Trade Commission’s guidelines for environmental marketing claims. Newsom stated that while he supports accurate claims, he was concerned that expanding documentation requirements would unduly burden manufacturers already facing economic headwinds from federal tariff and trade policy actions.
From wastedive.com
Why it matters
The veto removes the proposed state-level requirements regarding how products market their environmental claims in California. The bill was opposed by industry groups, including the American Beverage Association, due to concerns about excluding certain types of mass-balance accounting systems. The action impacts companies that rely on the California market.
Newsom had previously vetoed a similar measure proposed by California lawmakers due to investigation concerns.
From wastedive.com
Who's involved
- Gavin NewsomGovernor of California who exercised the veto power over the proposed legislation.
- American Beverage AssociationIndustry organization that opposed the bill due to concerns over compliance requirements.
Who could feel it
Possible knock-on effectsThese are possibilities Brind reasoned out, not predictions, and not advice. Most are not stated in any report.
- Coca-ColaSpeculative
The veto might provide cost avoidance by removing new state compliance requirements for packaging in California.
- Keurig Dr PepperSpeculative
The veto might provide cost avoidance by removing new state compliance requirements for packaging in California.
- PepsiCoSpeculative
The veto might provide cost avoidance by removing new state compliance requirements for packaging in California.
- Red BullSpeculative
The veto might provide cost avoidance by removing new state compliance requirements for packaging in California.
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The entities involved
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Gavin Newsom
40th governor of California since 2019
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American Beverage Association
American beverage industry organization
Nothing else this week.
Related events
- Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that was authored by Rebecca Bauer-Kahan.
- Governor Gavin Newsom signed California Senate Bill 951 on October 16, 2026.
- CA Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed bills regarding water use and led research on data center environmental impacts.
- Gavin Newsom pushed progressive legislation while serving as governor of California.
- Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2624 into law despite ongoing protests.