From Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) reporting on PFAS to increasing U.S. state-level requirements around chemicals in products, manufacturers, retailers, and suppliers are required to understand the makeup of the products they sell, down to a molecular level. From their position downstream of complex supply chains, retailers must implement and manage the data gathering and supply chain verification necessary to meet these reporting obligations. 

As our panelists at the ICPHSO Annual Meeting and Training Symposium made clear, the world of chemical reporting is growing more complex every year, posing new challenges — and opportunities — for everyone from manufacturers and retailers to regulators and consumers. 

The panel was moderated by Luisa Lobo of the Retail Industry Leaders Association with speakers Amy Symonds of Crowell & Moring, Travis Sjostrom of Best Buy, and Krystal Spickler of UL Solutions. 

Here are the four key areas discussed. 

Continue Reading The Ever-Expanding Chemical Reporting Universe at ICPHSO: A Look at Reporting Requirements and Approaches 

Tuesday, February 24 was the second day of the ICPHSO Annual Meeting and Training Symposium in Orlando, Florida. The Crowell team was on the ground throughout the day, and the sessions did not disappoint. From cybersecurity standards for IoT devices and the European Union’s (EU) sweeping new compliance obligations — the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR), the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), and Digital Product Passports — to U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) eFiling deadlines and the challenge of age-grading products in a social media landscape, the recurring question was the same: how do regulators, companies, and standards bodies stay ahead of a marketplace that never stops moving?

With that backdrop in mind, here are some highlights from the day’s sessions and key takeaways for product safety professionals today.

Continue Reading Day Two of the ICPHSO Symposium: The Race to Keep Pace — Regulation in a Fast-Moving World

The year 2025 saw an increase in recall class actions challenging false advertising, labeling, and recall remedies across consumer goods, from household products to pet food. One persistent question for courts in these recall cases is whether the plaintiff has Article III standing, which often hinges on “traceability.” These cases do not appear to be slowing down in 2026, as consumers are becoming even more conscious and selective about the products they purchase, driving greater scrutiny and risk for product companies across all industries.

Continue Reading 2025 Recall Class Action Wave: False Advertising, Mislabeling, and Traceability Shape the Litigation Trends

In this round of updates, we see updates to several FTC actions related to deceptive marketing as well as several administrative updates.  The FTC has named a deputy director of the bureau of competition and held several workshops on topics of data privacy and security. We also saw several Advance Notices of Proposed Rule Making (ANPRM). These stories and more after the jump.

Continue Reading FTC Updates (January 19 – January 30, 2026)

As we enter the new year, the FTC continues to prioritize consumer protection and fair competition, taking significant steps to prosecute offenders for alleged misleading conduct regarding consumer consent and enforce existing court orders. Additionally, the FTC has announced multiple revisions to the jurisdictional thresholds under the Clayton Act, increasing the thresholds for premerger notification filings, related filing fees, and interlocking directorates. Finally, Commissioner Meador delivered the keynote address at the 2026 Tech Antitrust Conference and discussed concerns about technology innovation and the emerging trend of “acqui-hires.” These stories and more after the jump.

Continue Reading FTC Updates (January 12 – 16, 2026)

In both the competition and consumer protection spaces, the FTC was active this past week announcing several new settlements the agency has reached regarding data security, tipping practices, and the use of no-hire agreements that limited worker mobility. The FTC also announced a new date for its workshop on noncompete agreements to further explore their impact on labor markets. These stories and more after the jump.

Continue Reading FTC Updates (December 15–19, 2025)

The FTC has been active in the consumer protection realm this week, issuing refunds and warning letters, releasing Do Not Call Registry statistics, and announcing a new workshop. The FTC also denied a petition to reopen a long-running consent order related to “stalkerware” apps. These stories and more after the jump.

Continue Reading FTC Updates (December 8 – 12, 2025)

Wednesday, November 26, 2025

Bureau of Competition; Competition; Nonmerger; Noncompete

  • The FTC finalized a consent order requiring Gateway Services, Inc. and its subsidiary, Gateway US Holdings, Inc. (collectively “Gateway”) to stop entering into or enforcing noncompete agreements on their employees. The order followed the FTC’s September 2025 complaint, which alleged that Gateway’s noncompete agreements were anticompetitive and suppressed competition. Previously, these agreements prohibited Gateway employees from working in the pet cremation industry anywhere in the United States for one year after leaving the company. Under the consent order, Gateway must stop enforcing its existing noncompete agreements and is prohibited from entering into similar agreements in the future.
Continue Reading Updates November 24 – December 5, 2025

Due to the government shutdown, the FTC is closed aside from essential services.  Therefore, Crowell’s FTC updates will resume after the shutdown ends.

The FTC proposed recommendations to rescind and lighten its own regulations. The agency also published its 47th Annual Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Report summarizing merger enforcement actions in 2024. These stories, and more, after the jump.

Continue Reading FTC Updates September 2 – 26, 2025