Sending and receiving express delivery has become the daily life of today’s people, but the environmental pollution and waste caused by express packaging waste cannot be ignored. How to make express packaging greener and more environmentally friendly? Recently, the State Administration for Market Regulation and other eight departments jointly issued the “Guiding Opinions on Strengthening the Standardization of Express Green Packaging” (hereinafter referred to as the “Guiding Opinions”, making a comprehensive deployment for the standardization of my country’s express green packaging in the next three years.
How big is the impact of express packaging waste on the environment? How does the “Guiding Opinions” promote the “green revolution” of express packaging? In response to the issues of public concern, the relevant person in charge of the State Administration for Market Regulation explained.
The express delivery industry consumes more than 10 million tons of paper and plastic waste every year
Q: How much is the waste of express packaging in my country every year?
A: my country is the world’s largest express delivery country. In 2019, the national express delivery business volume exceeded 63 billion pieces. With the rapid development of the express delivery industry, the use of express packaging materials has grown synchronously. According to preliminary estimates, my country’s express delivery industry consumes more than 9 million tons of paper waste and about 1.8 million tons of plastic waste every year, and it is showing a rapid growth trend. The impact of packaging waste on the environment cannot be ignored.
To achieve green, reduced and recyclable express packaging, standards are also needed to support it. In October 2019, the State Administration for Market Regulation, together with the National Development and Reform Commission, the Post Office and other departments, established a joint working group on the standardization of express green packaging to further promote the standardization of express green packaging.
Q: What is the current standard of express packaging in my country? What are the deficiencies?
A: my country has issued a series of standards on express packaging, involving express envelopes, bags, boxes, biodegradable tapes, electronic waybills and many other aspects, which have played an active role in supporting the green development of the express industry. However, with the transformation and development of the express delivery industry and the in-depth integration with the transportation industry and manufacturing industry, it is still necessary to speed up the completion of a number of urgently needed standards in terms of new materials, new technologies, and new products for express green packaging, as well as the integrated operation of express packaging. . In addition, the means of implementing green packaging standards for express delivery in my country is relatively simple, which requires joint efforts from all sectors of society.
Green packaging standards are conducive to solving the problems of pollution and waste in the express delivery industry
Q: The “Guiding Opinions” adhere to problem-oriented, goal-oriented, and result-oriented, and systematically deploy the standardization of express green packaging in the past three years. What positive significance does the green packaging standard have in solving the pollution and waste problems in the express delivery industry?
Answer: The standard is like a ruler. Through the standard, the basic requirements of the material, product design, use and operation, testing and evaluation of express green packaging can be determined, providing technical support for the management of express green packaging. For example, the “Basic Requirements for Packaging of Express Mail” regulates the selection and packaging operations of packaging materials, and provides unified compliance for the packaging operations of different express companies to avoid excessive packaging and repeated packaging. Therefore, strengthening the standardization of express green packaging is conducive to establishing the basic norms of express green packaging.
Strengthening the standardization work is also conducive to promoting the coordinated governance of express green packaging. The core of the standard lies in simplification, unification, coordination and optimization, and it is the product of full consensus among stakeholders. The express packaging industry chain is long and involves a wide range of areas. By formulating and implementing standards, industry and departmental restrictions can be broken, and the standard coordination of express packaging research and development, design, production, use, and recycling can be achieved, thereby driving the collaborative governance of express green packaging. Small incisions lead to big changes in the governance system.
In addition, it is conducive to accelerating the transformation and application of innovative achievements in express green packaging. Standards are the bridge for the transformation and application of scientific and technological achievements. At present, major express companies, express packaging manufacturers, and e-commerce platforms are actively carrying out innovative explorations in express green packaging, such as JD.com’s “Qingliu Plan”, SF Express’s “Feng BOX”, etc. New models and other innovative achievements emerge in an endless stream. With the help of standards, these best practices can be summarized and refined, and then standards that can be promoted in the whole industry can be formed, which can accelerate the transformation and application of innovative achievements, and improve the comprehensive management effect of express green packaging.
Incorporate the implementation of express green packaging standards into the supervision of express delivery, e-commerce and other industries
Q: The “Guiding Opinions” play an important role in promoting the “green revolution” of express packaging. What are the main problems to be solved?
A: The “Guiding Opinions” focus on the three goals of greening, reducing and recycling express packaging, and mainly focus on solving four problems.
One is how to upgrade the express green packaging standard system. The “Guiding Opinions” requires reviewing and evaluating the current express packaging standards, meeting the needs of express green packaging standards, strengthening the top-level design, and striving to use three years to establish various categories covering products, evaluation, management, and safety, as well as research and development, design, production, and use. , The standard system of express green packaging in all aspects of recycling.
The second is how to make up for the shortcomings of standards in key areas. The “Guiding Opinions” mainly aim at the standard shortcomings in the application of new materials, the connection between the upstream and downstream of the express packaging industry, and the construction of the express packaging recycling system.
The third is how to promote the effective implementation of standards. The “Guiding Opinions” starts from both the government and the market. On the one hand, it encourages relevant departments to cite the express green packaging standards when formulating legal policies, strengthen departmental collaboration, and incorporate the implementation of express green packaging standards into the supervision of express delivery, e-commerce and other industries; on the other hand We will carry out various forms of standard implementation publicity activities, and encourage e-commerce operators and express delivery companies to purchase express packaging products that meet green standards.
Fourth, how to improve the level of internationalization of standards. The “Guiding Opinions” proposes to strengthen international exchanges and cooperation, summarize the successful experience and practices of express packaging in my country, actively participate in international standardization activities in packaging, environmental management and other fields, promote the formulation of relevant international standards, and share Chinese experience.
Q: After the “Guiding Opinions” are promulgated, what supporting measures will be taken to promote the implementation?
A: In the follow-up, around the implementation of the “Guiding Opinions”, the “Construction Plan for Express Green Packaging Standard System” will be compiled. Combined with the key standard requirements put forward in the “Guiding Opinions”, research and establish a green packaging standard system framework for express delivery, sort out a batch of national standards and industry standards that need to be developed urgently, clarify the work schedule, and guide the subsequent standard formulation and revision work.
At the same time, a quick procedure was launched to support the establishment and release of national standards for express green packaging. In the first half of this year, four national standards for express green packaging have been approved and released. For example, the recently released national standard “Green Product Evaluation of Express Packaging Supplies” regulates different materials such as paper, plastic, textile fibers, and various material combinations, as well as green evaluation indicators for reusable express packaging products. Require.
In addition, jointly with relevant departments to carry out evaluation of the implementation effect of express green packaging standards, and constantly improve the supervision mechanism for the implementation of standards that are connected, coordinated and efficient. As far as we know, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment has included the application of express green packaging standards into the pilot evaluation of “Waste-Free Cities”, making the express green packaging standards an important indicator for the construction of “Waste-Free Cities”.
Post time: Aug-23-2022