Vig Pak — Packaging & Marketing Solutions for the EPR Era

The EPR Shift

Packaging waste now has an invoice.

EPR shifts the cost of managing packaging waste from taxpayers to the brands that put packaging on the market. If you sell packaged goods into a covered state, you register, report, and pay — every year.

Fees are eco-modulated. The rate you pay depends on how recyclable your material is. Easy-to-recycle packaging pays pennies; hard-to-recycle materials pay a premium. Expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam is classified "not collected" in virtually every state program — the highest fee tier there is.

Annual EPR Fee = Weight shipped into state (lbs) × Material fee rate ($/lb)

The two-year lag is the trap. Fees invoiced in 2027 are based on packaging shipped in 2025. Brands that aren't tracking packaging data today are accumulating a liability they won't see until the invoice arrives — with no way to retroactively reduce it.

Enforcement is real. Oregon published a public list of ~300 noncompliant producers in April 2026, with fines up to $25K/day. Colorado's fines escalate to $20K + $6K/day. And retailers are beginning to screen suppliers against noncompliance lists.

What materials actually cost under EPR

2026 published fee rates, Colorado ($ per pound shipped into the state)

EPS foam (polystyrene)Highest tier — not collected

$1.72

Multi-layer plastic filmHard to recycle

$0.90

Corrugated cardboardRecyclable

$0.12

Recyclable film (single material)Lowest tier

$0.10

Same product, same shelf — up to a 14× difference in fees, purely from material choice. Source: 2026 published PRO fee schedules; subject to annual adjustment.

Register

Covered brands must register with a Producer Responsibility Organization (the Circular Action Alliance covers CA, CO, OR, MD & WA).

Report

File annual supply reports detailing packaging type and weight shipped into each covered state — across retail, e-commerce, and DTC alike.

Pay — or redesign

Fees are invoiced on your material choices. The only lasting way to lower them is to move into recyclable, lower-tier packaging. That's where we come in.

Solutions

One partner. Two kinds of solutions.

Vig Pak sits at the intersection of packaging and retail marketing. We bring brands and retailers packaging that solves the EPR problem — and programs that turn that packaging into a marketing asset.

📦

Packaging Solutions

Sustainable, cost-competitive alternatives to the highest EPR fee tiers — engineered to perform, priced to compete, and built to keep you off the penalty lists.

100% recyclable & biodegradable materials
Drop EPS foam and multi-layer film from your fee report
Third-party performance testing you can hand to buyers
Cost-competitive with the packaging it replaces

📣

Marketing Solutions

Packaging is the most under-used media space a brand owns. We build retail programs where the package itself sells — in the aisle, at the tailgate, on the shelf.

Full-wrap custom branding — every panel is a billboard
Licensed & co-branded retail programs (teams, brands, destinations)
Retail-ready display shippers that merchandise themselves
Sustainability stories consumers actually see and carry

BRRR Box · Packaging × Marketing Solution

The cooler that markets itself.

The Official Cooler of Planet Earth.™

100% Recyclable Biodegradable Made in USA Patented Flat-to-That™ setup Grip-N-Go™ one-hand carry 12 cans + 7 lbs ice

The end of the white foam cooler — a product that's 0% recyclable, sits 500+ years in a landfill, hasn't changed in half a century, and now carries the highest EPR fee tier in every state program. The patented BRRR Box™ ships flat (10× more per pallet), pops up in about 5 seconds, and keeps contents cold up to 8 hours — 100% curbside-recyclable at end of life.

Two businesses in one cooler. As a product: a $9.99 impulse buy at the point of thirst, margins north of 40%, that pulls $20–$40 of beverages, ice, and snacks into the basket. As media: six printable surfaces that keep advertising at the tailgate, the beach, and the campground — with QR codes routing back to campaigns, sweepstakes, and loyalty. Officially licensed with Ohio State, North Carolina, and South Carolina — a model that scales to any team or league.

<35°F

for 4 full hours in a 90°F test chamber — ice still in the box

325 lbs

average compression strength; ~93% retained after 4 hrs at 0°F

Zero

leaks or condensation after 4 hours on ice — carried without a drip

Independently verified by Clear Packaging Labs using TAPPI-standard test methods, Dec 2024. Full results available on request.

BRRR Box Keep Cool custom-printed cooler on a picnic table

BRRR Box Grab-n-Go cooler in a retail setting

Flat to that in seconds — no assembly frustration, no storage footprint.

The display shipper — 12 coolers per display, merchandised right out of the box.

The display sells the product. The product advertises the brand. The program pays for itself.

♻️

The EPR math: swapping EPS foam ($1.72/lb in Colorado) for recyclable corrugate ($0.12/lb) cuts the fee rate on that packaging by more than 90% — while upgrading the shelf presence of every unit you sell.

Flexcor · Protective Packaging Solution

Protection without the foam.

Retention. Suspension. Compression.

Retention packaging Suspension packaging Proprietary film technology Less material, better protection

Flexcor replaces the protective packaging EPR penalizes most — fill foam, packing peanuts, convoluted foam, and bubble wrap. Its retention and suspension systems hold products in a proprietary high-grip film stretched across a corrugated frame, so items ride out shipment suspended and secure.

Less material. Lower fee tier. Fewer damage returns. A recyclable corrugated frame and a fraction of the plastic means less weight on your EPR supply report — and Flexcor's film delivers more grip, better stretch, and tear resistance than commodity films, so products arrive intact and unboxing feels premium.

Less

material shipped, stored, and reported — one system replaces foams and fills

Fewer

returns from shipping damage — retention and suspension absorb the abuse

Better

customer experience — clean presentation instead of a box of peanuts

Flexcor, Inc. — customization, reliability, and design support from study through implementation. flexcorinc.com

Retention: wine bottle held fast through shipment — no fill, no foam.

Suspension: taller and fragile items float safely inside the box.

The EPR Quiz

Are you EPR-ready?

Six quick questions. No email required. See where your brand stands on EPR compliance and fee exposure — and what to do about it.

EPR Readiness Check Question 1 of 6

This tool provides general information based on 2026 published state EPR fee schedules and program rules. It is not legal or compliance advice — thresholds, exemptions, and fee rates vary by state and change annually.

Contact · About Vig Pak

Good for business.
Good for the planet.

Vig Pak is a sales and marketing solutions company specializing in sustainable, flexible packaging. We develop and represent packaging innovations that are 100% recyclable, biodegradable, cost-competitive with the materials they replace — and protected by proprietary technology.

Our portfolio today: the BRRR Box™, the recyclable convenience cooler rewriting the cooler aisle, and Flexcor, retention and suspension protective packaging that ends the era of foam and peanuts. Behind both sits the same conviction: sustainability only wins when it performs and competes on cost. Ours does.

Whether you're a brand staring down your first EPR invoice, or a retailer building a cleaner cooler aisle — we'll meet you with a solution, not a sales pitch.

Let's build something better.

Tell us about your packaging, your channels, and the states you sell into. We'll come back with numbers.

👤 Nathan Battle

✉️ nathan@vigpak.com

🌐 vigpak.com

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