The large amount of use and disposal of express packaging has brought great pressure on the resources and environment
80% of them cannot be recycled directly. How many steps are there to make express delivery green?
Every year, "Double 11" and "Double 12" shopping festivals are the peak of express freight. Carton, tape, and plastic fillers used for express packaging can be seen everywhere in communities, streets, and corridors.
The massive use and disposal of these packaging materials has increased the burden on consumers and brought great pressure on the resources and environment.
Monitoring data from the State Post Bureau shows that the annual business volume of express delivery across the country will exceed 80 billion pieces this year.
However, the phenomenon of excessive packaging of express delivery, unrecycled cartons, and excessive waste generated by plastic packaging bags still exist.
Relevant departments have been committed to promoting the green transformation of express packaging.
80% of express packaging is not directly recycled
At present, corrugated boxes account for a relatively large proportion of express delivery packages in my country, followed by plastic packaging bags.
It is estimated that my country’s express delivery industry consumes more than 9 million tons of paper waste and 1.8 million tons of plastic waste each year.
During this year's "Double 11" period, only more than 100 million express packages (including plastic fillers) were directly recovered at the express collection point, entering the secondary cycle.
On the day of "Double 11", a total of 675 million express parcels were processed nationwide, which means that at least 80% of express packages were not directly recycled due to various reasons.
In recent years, in order to promote the green packaging of express delivery, the State Post Bureau and other relevant departments have successively issued opinions and suggestions on standardizing express packaging: In June this year, the State Post Bureau issued the "Green Packaging Specifications for Mail Express"; in August this year, the State Administration for Market The Post Office and other departments issued the "Guiding Opinions on Strengthening the Standardization of Express Green Packaging" and proposed that by 2022, a strict and binding express green packaging standard system will be established to promote the standard to become a "hard constraint" for express green packaging; in October this year, The State Administration for Market Regulation and the State Post Bureau issued the first batch of "Certificate of Green Products for Express Packages", and the green product certification system for express packages was officially implemented...
Recently, the General Office of the State Council forwarded the "Opinions on Accelerating the Green Transformation of Express Packaging" (hereinafter referred to as the "Opinions") issued by eight departments including the National Development and Reform Commission and the State Post Bureau, proposing that express packaging will basically achieve green transformation by 2025.
Green packaging cannot rely solely on express companies
Now that the country has intensively introduced a number of measures to regulate express packaging, why are there frequent problems such as excessive express packaging and cartons not being recycled?
"In fact, most of the current express delivery is packaged by the e-commerce company itself, and the express delivery is just a sticker." Mr. Qiu, the person in charge of an express outlet in Chaoyang District, Beijing, said that e-commerce parts accounted for a large proportion of the express business volume. .
Hu Kai, deputy director of the Development Research Center of the State Post Bureau, told reporters that at present, e-commerce parts account for more than 70% of the express business volume, express logistics packaging is only the outermost layer, and the State Post Bureau is promoting the express delivery process to no longer repackage.
It is understood that as of the end of October this year, the proportion of no secondary packaging has reached 70.1%.
The green transformation of express packaging requires the division of labor in the upstream and downstream of the industry and joint efforts to reduce product packaging and e-commerce packaging.
"It is not enough to rely on express delivery companies to make express packaging green." Shao Zhonglin, former deputy secretary-general of the China Express Association, said that due to the lack of unified packaging operation specifications for upstream and downstream, there is a certain degree of arbitrariness in packaging selection and operation.
"Promoting the green development of express packaging requires the participation of various industries and their regulatory authorities."
Green transformation requires all parties to work together
The "Opinions" issued this time clarified the work goals for the next five years.
By 2022, formulate and implement mandatory national standards for the harmlessness of express packaging materials; the proportion of e-commerce express mails will no longer be secondary packaging to 85%, the scale of recyclable express packaging applications will reach 7 million, and express packaging will be standardized, green and recycled The level has improved significantly.
By 2025, a long-term mechanism will be formed throughout the entire chain of express packaging production, use, recycling, and disposal. E-commerce express mail will basically no longer be repackaged, the scale of recyclable express packaging applications will reach 10 million, and express packaging will basically achieve green transformation .
Lin Ling, director of the China National Institute of Standardization, Zihuan Branch, believes that the implementation of the "Opinions" can change the status quo of fragmented standards and establish a feedback mechanism for standard implementation to continue to improve the standard system.
The formation of a systemic and scientific management model of the express industry standard can effectively reduce disputes and improve efficiency.
Zhu Liyang, president of the China Circular Economy Association, believes that the green transformation of express packaging requires the joint efforts of production companies, packaging companies, e-commerce platforms, logistics companies, and consumers to make a green life a common practice, leaving only convenience and no regrets in express packaging.
Gan Xi