Analysis
The Death of EPS: How the July 2026 Packaging Bans Are Forcing Franchises into Circular Supply Chains
The regulatory timeline that the quick-service industry has spent years lobbying against has finally arrived. As of July 1, 2026, a cascading series of state and international packaging bans—most notably Virginia’s absolute prohibition on Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) foam for all food vendors and the sweeping European ban on BPA and PFAS ‘forever chemicals’—has fundamentally rewired […]