Key trends for 2026

Key trends for 2026

In 2026, state action on toxic chemicals and plastics reflects a clear shift beyond isolated bans toward systems-level prevention, treating chemical safety as a public health issue rather than solely a pollution management challenge, driving national market change through implementation, and defending state authority to act.

1. From adoption to impact: Laws going into effect in 2026: At least 15 state policies are going into effect in 2026, including broad regulation of PFAS “forever chemicals” and restrictions on bisphenols in products such as receipts and children’s feeding items. Many of these laws are first-in-the-nation or even first-in-the-world policies that restrict chemical classes and require disclosure of PFAS in consumer products. The marketplace is already responding, demonstrating how years of state leadership is now changing how products are made and sold across the country. 
2. PFAS “forever chemicals” as a model for reshaping chemical policy through class-based regulation. States are regulating PFAS as a class of chemicals, including PFAS plastic. Policies are addressing PFAS across their full lifecycle, from bans and transparency on PFAS in products to transparency and accountability on industrial discharges and sludge management. Increasingly, states are applying the lessons learned from PFAS to other hazardous chemical classes, such as bisphenols and phthalates, and their uses.
3. States are treating plastics as a public health problem. States are increasingly tackling plastics as a public health threat. Plastics are a source of toxic chemical and microplastic exposure, especially in products people eat from, touch, wear, and use daily. Proposed policies in 2026 increasingly address toxic chemical additives, microplastics, highly toxic plastics, and unnecessary plastics use, particularly in packaging and single-use items. This approach prioritizes upstream prevention, which is more effective than trying to manage plastic pollution after it spreads.
4. Protections are accelerating for personal care, cosmetics, and menstrual products. States are accelerating protections for items used daily and directly on the body, including cosmetics, personal care, and menstrual products. Building on leadership from states like Washington, California, Oregon, and Vermont, new policies reflect growing recognition that daily-use products should not be a source of preventable toxic exposure. These efforts also address disproportionate impacts, as women of color are more likely to be marketed products containing more dangerous chemicals.

All of these trends are happening despite state health protections being increasingly threatened by federal efforts to both weaken chemical policy and establish more preemption. States have led the way when there are federal gaps and lack of action. In 2026, preserving state authority and maintaining basic federal laws are not background issues; they are central to whether states can protect the health of their residents from toxic chemicals in products, food, and water.

Taken together, these trends show that states not only take their responsibility to protect residents seriously, but they are doing so with increasing sophistication, coordination, and resolve.