Manufacturers face a shifting environmental compliance landscape in 2026, with uncertainty around PFAS rules, tighter state standards and growing pressure on in-house environmental teams, according to a new analysis from BSI Consulting.

The firm identified five key environmental risk areas for the year ahead, including fragmented regulations across states, limited staffing and budgets for compliance programs, and the need for better use of environmental data to anticipate problems before they become violations.

The report urges manufacturers to understand their PFAS exposure, prepare for differing state requirements and shift from reactive compliance to proactive risk management.

“Manufacturers want clear, workable rules they can plan around, not a patchwork of shifting requirements,” said James Lee, managing director of public policy services at the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association. “This report underscores why consistent policy matters just as much as strong compliance programs inside the plant.”

The findings highlight the growing complexity facing manufacturers as environmental policy continues to evolve unevenly across the country. 2/2/2026