HCPA’s Annual Meeting is the premier conference to learn about and engage on the public policy issues that impact the household and commercial products industry. Thought leaders will discuss legislative and regulatory issues, information related to product registrations, sustainability, industry trends, and so much more.
Prepare your schedule and get registered today.
The event will bring together executive leadership from member companies for four days of in-person sessions. This is your chance to receive updates from the entire supply chain. You can build beneficial partnerships, discuss emerging trends, and solve industry challenges.
Expert speakers will give updates on priority public policy issues.
Every Division and Committee will host expert-led sessions on issues that impact household and commercial products, including ingredient communication, retailer expectations, product safety, the supply chain, market trends, packaging, and technical issues.
World Champion Quarterback and Entrepreneur
Losing his successful football career at 35 to a serious injury, Joe Theismann learned firsthand how to think, analyze and reinvent in the face of adversity and change.
The most successful quarterback in the history of the Washington Redskins, Joe Theismann is also a world-class entrepreneur whose positive, high-energy presentations provide audiences with strategies for handling trying circumstances and dealing with unforeseen change. Theismann always goes the extra mile to inspire your team to excellence, showing how passion, leadership and teamwork all combine to create a comprehensive game plan for success. A successful businessman, he always challenges audiences to recognize the potential that lies within—as individuals and as members of a team. Voted the NFL’s Most Valuable Player, inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and twice named both the Pro Bowl’s Most Valuable Player and the NFL’s Man of the Year, Theismann led his team to the Super Bowl XVII championship. Known for his long-standing community service efforts, Theismann currently sits on the Sports Advisory Board of the St. Jude Children’s Hospital. Theismann was an Emmy award-winning analyst for two decades on ESPN’s critically acclaimed, Sunday Night and Monday Night NFL broadcasts.
Thank you to our Keynote Sponsor: 
*Pre-registration required
Step outside the conference rooms and get a behind-the-scenes look at recycling in action. Join industry colleagues for a tour of the Montgomery County Recycling Center, where you’ll see firsthand how recyclable materials are sorted and processed and learn about the operational and compliance challenges facing modern recycling programs.
By Invitation Only
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:
Clive Davies
Lauren Duffy
Taylor Dunivin
Insights and Innovations in Cleaning and Floor Care Products
This dynamic two-part session, tailored for the Cleaning and Floor Care Products Divisions, is designed to equip attendees with essential insights into current market trends and certification developments.
Part 1: Market Forces Shaping the Industry
This segment will delve into the key market forces influencing purchasing decisions, product innovation, and brand positioning within the cleaning and floor care categories. By exploring future scenarios, this presentation will examine how emerging technologies may reshape these categories over the next decade. Attendees will gain valuable, data-driven insights into:
Speaker:
Jamie Rosenberg, Principal Strategist, Global Research and Insights, Mintel
Part 2: EWG Verified Cleaners Standard Updates
The second part of this program will focus on exciting updates to the EWG Verified Cleaners Standard. Featuring a discussion on a logo refresh aimed at enhancing communication around safer chemistry to retailers, consumers, and purchasers, key points will include:
This session is ideal for brands, manufacturers, and retailers looking to navigate the evolving landscape of certification programs and seize opportunities for promoting safer, more sustainable products.
Speakers:
Clive Davis, Vice President, Environmental Working Group (EWG) Verified®
Lauren Duffy, Senior Director, EWG Verified®
Taylor Dunivin, Director of Science Communication, EWG Verified®
Ashley Brown
Alison Sykes
Fragrance & the Modern Consumer: Safety, Science, and Social Media
This session will examine how evolving science, regulatory pressure, and consumer perspectives are reshaping product development and post-market risk management, with a focus on fragrance.
As volatile organic compound (VOC) regulations continue to tighten across North America, manufacturers and fragrance houses are moving beyond ethanol- and propellant-dependent delivery systems toward fundamentally new fragrance architectures that preserve performance while reducing or eliminating VOC use and enabling new product formats and portfolio differentiation.
The session will then turn to a timely discussion on post-market surveillance in the age of social media where viral trends can transform isolated misuse patterns into widespread public health concerns overnight. Attendees will walk away with critical intake questions and best practices for adverse event documentation.
The session will close with a joint exploration of fragrance safety in consumer products, highlighting new research from the Research Institute for Fragrance Materials (RIFM) and how it is reaching consumers through educational media. Attendees will also participate in a demonstration illustrating real-world exposure to fragrance ingredients in scented products.
Speakers:
Danielle Botelho, The Research Institute for Fragrance Materials (RIFM)
Ashley Brown, Clinical Toxicology Manager and Senior Clinical Toxicologist, SafetyCall International, LLC
Alison Sykes, Innovation Advisor, RTI International
Sponsored by:
With Keynote Speaker: Chris Cassidy, NASA Astronaut, U.S. Navy SEAL
Melissa Owen
Kirsten Alcock
Dana Mladin
This program will explore the process of introducing products into the Canadian and Latin American markets. Participants will gain a clear understanding of the key regulatory requirements for bringing both consumer and workplace products into these regions.
Speakers:
Kirsten Alcock, Director of Product Safety, Dell Tech Laboratories
Dana Mladin, Principal Technical Consultant, Dell Tech Laboratories
Melissa Owen, Founder, AMBIENTELEGAL
Shannon Borges
The regulatory landscape for 25(b) products continues to evolve as the EPA and states grapple with inconsistent approaches to minimum risk (25(b)) pesticides – a reality that creates both compliance challenges and market opportunities. This session will provide an update on the strategic work of the joint HCPA/AAPCO 25(b) Work Group to bring greater clarity and consistency to this space, along with an update from the EPA’s Biopesticides and Pollution Prevention Division.
Speaker:
Shannon Borges, Director, Biopesticides and Pollution Prevention Division, EPA
This is a closed meeting for members of the SPSC Executive Board. Board members will receive the meeting agenda by email.
John Howell
Speaker:
John Howell, Business Development Manager, Novonesis
Sponsored by:
The Aerosol Products Division’s Scientific Committee develops standards and specifications, participates in relevant research efforts, and explores current and potential aerosol technologies. The Committee also engages with global institutions that impact the storage, trade, and manufacturing of aerosol products to ensure that these practices are safe, effective, and manageable.
Michael Boucher
Dave Huber
FIFRA Enforcement: E-Commerce, Trends, and Lessons Learned
Building on the foundation established at the HCPA Annual Meeting session, FIFRA Enforcement in Focus: Navigating Oversight in a Changing Regulatory Landscape, this session will take a deeper dive into the evolving enforcement environment for products regulated under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). With continued scrutiny at U.S. borders, shifting regulatory priorities, and the rapid expansion of e-commerce, companies face a more complex compliance landscape than ever before.
The session will examine how enforcement authorities are adapting their strategies to address emerging risks across both traditional and online sales channels, and experts will draw on case studies involving e-commerce and other enforcement actions to offer practical, real-world compliance lessons.
Topics will include how to identify whether an enforcement action is legitimate; how enforcement scrutiny differs depending on whether a chemical enters commerce as a pesticide or a different substance; the role of AI tools in modern enforcement activities; and how states are operating under the cooperative agreement framework, especially as negotiations for Fiscal Year 2026 and beyond remain ongoing.
The session will also cover inter-regional enforcement coordination, including how states collaborate with the EPA and other states to achieve compliance, as well as the range of tools available to state enforcement programs.
Participants will leave with actionable insights for navigating this increasingly complex regulatory environment.
Speakers:
Michael Boucher, Partner, Steptoe
Dave Huber, Deputy Director, Division of Plant Industry at the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets
The Membership Committee plans and executes programming for the Aerosol Products Division, maintains and improves the engagement of aerosol members, and recruits new aerosol or aerosol-adjacent companies to join HCPA.
Sponsored by:
The Aerosol Products Division’s Regulatory Committee develops and advances policies that promote and protect the safe and effective use of aerosol products. The Regulatory Committee engages with federal and state legislators and global stakeholders to promote trade, harmonize laws, and ensure that regulations are consistent. The Regulatory Committee also works to minimize potential disruptions throughout the supply chain and improve the sustainability of aerosol products.
During this session, EPA AD will provide an update on the Division’s latest activities, including priorities and staffing updates. This session will also include an interactive discussion with EPA AD staff about the Emerging Viral Pathogen (EVP) program for antimicrobial pesticides.
Speaker:
Kristen Willis, Acting EPA Antimicrobials Division (AD) Director
Two powerful regulatory forces – the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) – are reshaping the compliance landscape for CPG companies. CPSC has shifted its enforcement priorities in ways that have led to high-profile cases and introduced new risks, while the Supreme Court’s upcoming review of Monsanto v. Durnell could fundamentally reshape the FIFRA preemption framework on which the industry has long relied. This session will provide attendees with a clear assessment of both developments and practical strategies for minimizing exposure.
CPSC Enforcement - This presentation will focus on recent changes in the enforcement priorities by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). These changes have led to some recent high-profile cases making the news, and this session will provide recommendations to companies to minimize their compliance risks.
Speakers:
Neal Cohen, Partner, Neal Cohen LLC
Boaz Green, Partner, Neal Cohen LLC
FIFRA Preemption - This presentation will focus on FIFRA preemption and the implications of the Monsanto v. Durnell case, which will be heard by the United States Supreme Court in late April 2026. The outcome of this case could have significant implications on FIFRA products.
Speaker:
Shannen Coffin, Partner, Steptoe
Sponsored by:
During this session, the Air Quality Council will prepare for the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) next consumer products rulemaking, including the transition to Maximum Incremental Reactivity (MIR). The Council will also discuss volatile organic compound (VOC) activity across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, as well as ongoing work by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
During this session, EPA BEAD will provide an update on the Division’s latest activities, including priorities, test method development updates, and outreach efforts. This session will also include an interactive working session with BEAD staff for deep dive discussions on topics of interest to attendees.
Speakers:
Rebecca Pines, Branch Chief, EPA OPP BEAD, Microbiology Laboratory Branch (MLB)
Yaorong Qian, Senior Scientist, EPA OPP BEAD, Analytical Chemistry Branch (ACB)
Donald Wilbur, Director, EPA Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) Biological and Economic Analysis Division (BEAD)
Steve Zhou, Senior Scientist, EPA OPP BEAD, Microbiology Laboratory Branch (MLB)
Sponsored by:
Beyond What You Can See: Quantifying Clean with XRF Technology
The Floor Care Products Division meeting will open with a special interactive presentation from Lee Phillips of Professional Testing Laboratory, the lab of record behind the carpet industry’s leading Seal of Approval program administered by the Carpet and Rug Institute. Lee will introduce attendees to the latest advancements in proprietary XRF technology, which enables a precise, quantitative measurement of cleaning effectiveness – moving beyond traditional visual assessments to data-driven performance insights.
Building on its success in the carpet and rug sector, Professional Testing Laboratory is expanding this technology into a new certification program for hard surfaces, including LVT, LVP, laminates, and more. Through real-world examples and audience discussion, Lee will explore common challenges observed in the field across substrates, equipment, and cleaning solutions and how this next-generation testing approach can support innovation from early-stage R&D to substantiating product performance claims in the marketplace.
Following this special presentation, the meeting will transition to regular Floor Care Products Division business, bringing together formulators, suppliers, distributors, and consultants committed to advancing the technical performance and safety of floor care products. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage in discussions that shape the Division's priorities and future direction, as well as receive an update on ongoing activity by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) by Doug Raymond of Raymond Regulatory Resources (3R).
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Speaker:
Lee Phillips, Laboratory Director, Professional Testing Labs
EPR Readiness: Legal, Retail, and Industry Perspectives
As Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policies expand across the U.S. and globally, companies are navigating an increasingly complex and fragmented regulatory landscape. This session will bring together legal, retail, and industry perspectives to explore the key forces shaping EPR implementation and compliance. Experts will discuss emerging legal challenges, evolving retailer expectations, and the growing need for more strategic, coordinated approaches to packaging decisions.
This session will specifically highlight how organizations are approaching EPR more holistically, aligning compliance, cost, and operational considerations across markets. Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of the risks, tradeoffs, and opportunities shaping packaging and sustainability strategies in an EPR-driven world.
Moderator:
Michael Washburn, Principal, Washburn Consulting
Speakers:
Michael Boucher, Partner, Steptoe
Colin Preston, Managing Consultant, Ramboll
State-level regulatory activity is accelerating on multiple fronts, creating an increasingly complex operating environment for pesticide registrants. This session will explore three emerging challenges requiring strategic attention: (1) the implementation of bilingual labeling requirements, (2) preparation for Minnesota’s PFAS prohibitions affecting pesticide products, and (3) a broader landscape update from HCPA’s state Government Relations & Public Policy team on what lies ahead.
Speaker:
Liane Jenkins, Managing Scientist, Exponent
Immediately following the Division meeting, the Floor Care Products Division Executive Board will convene for a closed meeting to discuss governance, strategic priorities, and next steps for the Division. Attendance is limited to Board members.
Since the 1980s, HCPA has helped develop and maintain both National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and international fire and building codes that allow aerosols to be manufactured, distributed, stored in warehouses, and placed on retailer shelves. HCPA uses sound science to ensure that its positions are credible and compelling to fire officials, insurers, and fire engineering professionals who manage the nation’s complex system of fire and building codes. During this working session, attendees will discuss the latest developments related to aerosol fire codes and help set the direction for future advocacy and technical positions.
This session will bring together raw material suppliers, manufacturers, and marketers of household and professional cleaning and care products. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage in discussions that shape the Cleaning Products Division's priorities and future direction, as well as hear an update on ongoing activity by the California Air Resources Board (CARB).
Speaker:
Doug Raymond, President, Raymond Regulatory Resources (3R), LLC
Defining Product Stewardship: Practical Approaches and Strategic Impact
A product steward's primary role is to minimize product risk and work toward creating safer, more sustainable products. They are responsible for managing the health, safety, and environmental impacts of a product across its lifecycle. This involves collaborating with key stakeholders from procurement, R&D, regulatory authorities and standardization, hazard communication, and marketing, all the way through end-of-life. Product stewards must anticipate not only compliance risks, but also potential risks to consumers and the environment. Their evolving role is challenged by pressures such as sustainability concerns, shifting scientific knowledge, and the need to address unintentional consequences or product misuse.
This session will provide participants with a foundational understanding of product stewardship, including key definitions and core principles. Board members from the Product Stewardship Society (PSS) will explore how product stewardship can be integrated into business processes, career pathways, and professional growth, while also offering practical examples of stewardship in action.
Speakers:
Alison Gauthier, Managing Scientist, Exponent
Giselle Vincett, Vice President of North America, Yordas Limited
AI is no longer on the horizon – it’s an operational reality reshaping how regulatory work gets done. However, adoption without a clear strategy risks undermining the expertise and accountability on which our industry depends.
This capstone panel will bring together regulatory professionals and AI practitioners to share lessons learned, common pitfalls, and practical strategies for integrating AI into regulatory workflows effectively and responsibly. Audience participation and discussion will be encouraged.
Speakers:
Kirill Ivanov, Co-Founder and COO, GetGenAI
Charlie Vallely, CEO and Co-Founder, Smarter Sorting
sponsored by:
Thank you to our 2023 Annual Meeting sponsors:
