Recycling of wine and spirits containers in California starts January 1, 2024. Although redemption labeling isn’t mandatory until July 1,2025, wineries, distilleries, and importers are advised to start adding required label statements to all products released after January 1. Beginning July 1, 2025, California retailers will be prohibited from selling wine and spirits containers that don’t have the required redemption labeling.

Label designers and industry decision-makers have a lot of options to consider. The redemption statement can be worded in five different ways:

• CALIFORNIA REDEMPTION VALUE
• CA REDEMPTION VALUE
• CALIFORNIA CASH REFUND
• CA CASH REFUND
• CA CRV

No matter which option you choose, the entire statement must appear on one line, and may not include a monetary value.

The law also prescribes legibility standards, depending on the type of container used. For glass or plastic containers, the statement must appear in lettering at least 3/16 inch in height. The type size can be reduced to 1/8 inch in height if the text is printed in contrasting colors or surrounded by a text box. See the CalRecycle website for the standards covering other types of containers.

The required statement can be printed on a label, or permanently applied to the container with ink-jetting, paint, scratch-embossing, or raised-letter embossing. The law also allows for QR or scan codes, but criteria for those are not established yet. No matter what method is used, the message must be clear, prominent, and indelible.

Label approval by CalRecycle is not required, but the agency recommends that in the beginning companies send in a proposed label or container for their review and comment, before going into production. Instructions for sending your label for review can be found here:

https://calrecycle.ca.gov/bevcontainer/bevdistman/labeling/#Submit

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