DeLoach succeeds Atlantic President Wes Carter in the manufacturer seat, with a three-year term beginning July 1.
WILMINGTON, N.C., June 30, 2026 — Atlantic Packaging, the largest family owned packaging company in the United States, announced today that Caroline DeLoach, Director of Sustainability, has been appointed to the Packaging Producer Responsibility Advisory Board (PRAB) by CalRecycle, the state’s Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery. DeLoach will serve a three-year term from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2029, representing manufacturers of covered materials, the same seat held since the board’s inception by Atlantic President Wes Carter, whose term concludes June 30.
“Caroline’s sophisticated understanding of California’s SB-54 legislation, and how it can be well implemented, has been integral to our industry’s desire for success with this law,” said Wes Carter, President, Atlantic Packaging. “Her diligence, dedication and research has elevated her to one of the foremost authorities on EPR in America. She will bring immense value to the board of advisors. Atlantic is truly humbled and grateful that we can continue to support the greater supply chain in implementing intelligent policies that drive needed change and support commerce congruently.”
The PRAB guides implementation of California’s packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) law Senate Bill 54 (SB 54), advising CalRecycle, producers, and the producer responsibility organization on technical matters and regulation development. The board’s first task in DeLoach’s term will be reviewing the Circular Action Alliance’s Program Plan for how it plans to execute the requirements of the law.
DeLoach brings an uncommon combination to the role: daily experience making the packaging supply chain more sustainable and deep familiarity with SB 54’s regulatory development. She has attended the PRAB’s monthly public meetings alongside Carter for the past three years, conducted detailed reviews of draft regulations, and submitted formal comments during rulemaking. Her first meeting as a board member is July 17, 2026.
“The packaging industry needs a seat at this table, not to slow things down, but to make sure the solutions we land on actually work in the real world,” said Caroline DeLoach, Director of Sustainability, Atlantic Packaging. “SB 54 has created an amazing opportunity for brands to improve their packaging, and we just need to create the right mechanisms for them to do that in a way that’s really feasible and actually realizes sustainability gains.”
At Atlantic Packaging, DeLoach leads sustainability strategy across a portfolio spanning corrugated, folding cartons, plastic films, and other covered material types. She advises companies across industries on complex packaging challenges from recyclability and composability to shifting consumer behavior and the fast-evolving landscape of packaging EPR regulations. With a background spanning policy, business, and industrial ecology, she brings an interdisciplinary lens to navigating material sustainability and scaling circular solutions. She also created and leads Atlantic’s Inside EPR webinar series, which draws more than 100 live attendees per session, and developed Atlantic’s publicly available EPR Deep Dive, a resource the company updates as the regulatory landscape evolves. DeLoach holds an MBA from Yale School of Management, where her graduate research focused on EPR policy, and a BA in Government from Georgetown University.
DeLoach is one of eight members appointed to the PRAB this year. Other members represent local government, grocery, composting, environmental justice, recycling services, ocean advocacy, and manufacturing. For more information on the Packaging Producer Responsibility Advisory Board, visit calrecycle.ca.gov/packaging/packaging-epr/advisoryboard.
About Atlantic Packaging
For 80 years, Atlantic Packaging has served as a privately held business specializing in end-of-line packaging systems, materials, and converted paperboard solutions. Atlantic’s focus on innovation and technology has made them a market leader for customers requiring sustainable packaging options, packaging equipment, high-performance materials, warehousing, and distribution. Atlantic delivers these solutions daily to customers in North and Central America. A New Earth Project is the sustainability initiative of Atlantic Packaging, uniting the global packaging supply chain, enlightened brands, and passionate consumers to rid the world’s oceans, lakes, and rivers of plastic pollution. To learn more about Atlantic Packaging, please visit www.atlanticpkg.com.
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Jennifer Mihalic
Hughes Agency for Atlantic Packaging
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