Slimming down over-packaged products (listen, green production and life)
This year's "Government Work Report" pointed out that it is necessary to "accelerate the formation of green and low-carbon production and lifestyle" and "promote green and low-carbon development".
This is an expectation for the future and a requirement for enterprises and individuals.
With the progress of society, the concept of green development has become more and more popular, and more and more fields have made positive changes.
From now on, the "Listening" column will launch a series of reports on "Green Production and Life", focusing on the exploration and practice of all parties from the perspectives of curbing excessive packaging, promoting the consumption of new energy vehicles, and building a water-saving society.
--editor
"Matryoshka-style" gift boxes, large boxes with small cakes... In recent years, the outer packaging of some commodities has been extravagant and wasteful, "overwhelming guests", causing headaches.
A few days ago, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology organized and completed the preparation of the No. 1 Amendment Form (Draft for Comments) of the mandatory national standard "Restriction of Excessive Packaging Requirements for Food and Cosmetics".
The standard will be implemented from August 1 this year to further standardize the packaging requirements of food and cosmetics, guide green production and advocate green life.
Why is it difficult to stop the excessive packaging of commodities?
What new changes will the new standard bring to the market and industry chain?
In response to these issues, the reporter interviewed relevant enterprises and experts.
Which are excessive?
Large packaging of small objects, heavy packaging of light objects, repeated packaging... There are many patterns of excessive packaging
Recently, Ms. Chen, a Beijing citizen, bought a lipstick online.
When she received the express package, she couldn't help but sighed that the merchant's packaging was flashy. She opened the shoebox-sized cardboard box and found a ribbon gift box. When she opened the gift box, she found a cloth packaging bag and a small piece of paper two fingers wide inside. box, peeled off the plastic film and the box, and finally saw the lipstick.
Not just cosmetics, but a small piece of take-out bread, wrapped in multiple layers inside and out; the moon cakes and zongzi gift boxes are getting bigger and bigger, and even precious materials such as precious metals and mahogany are used... Some businesses put "careful attention" on the packaging. Good suffering" or even "excessive force", resulting in unnecessary waste.
"In pursuit of high profits, some food and cosmetics companies have too many layers of packaging design and use, too large void ratio, and too high cost." In the view of Han Xueshan, vice president of China Packaging Federation, small items are large in packaging and light in weight. Heavy packaging and repeated packaging of objects are the main forms of excessive packaging of commodities in the current market.
Excessive packaging is not harmful.
On the one hand, it increases the cost and raises the selling price, and these costs are eventually passed on to consumers.
On the other hand, it will also cause waste of resources and environmental pollution.
Research shows that my country's packaging waste accounts for about 30% to 40% of urban domestic waste, and many of these packaging wastes are produced by excessive packaging.
"The production of excessive packaging itself is a waste of energy consumption, and disposal will put pressure on recycling and environmental bearing." Han Xueshan said.
It is urgent to rectify excessive packaging.
The new standard proposes that the number of packaging layers for grain and its processed products should not exceed 3 layers, and the cost of all packaging except for direct contact with the contents should not exceed 20% of the product price, and the necessary space factor for different foods is stipulated.
"By quantitatively limiting the number of packaging layers, cost and void ratio, the bottom line of food and cosmetic packaging has been delineated, which will help guide the rational return of the market." Han Xueshan said.
Why is it hard to stop?
One-sided emphasis on promotion function, weak quality control ability... Many factors lead to "bloated"
In recent years, excessive packaging of commodities has frequently caused heated discussions.
In 2020, when the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Market Supervision conducted a random inspection on the packaging of commodities on e-commerce platforms, it found that 12 batches of 50 batches of commodities were suspected of over-packaging, and the unqualified rate of cosmetic packaging was as high as 70%.
Why is it difficult to stop the excessive packaging of commodities?
This is related to many factors.
"Packaging has several basic functions such as accommodating products, protecting products, labeling information, and promoting. One-sided emphasis on promotional functions may lead to excessive packaging." Han Xueshan said that the packaging specifications of different products are different, but generally speaking, 10% of the price of the product is used as packaging to realize the basic function of packaging; however, some merchants intend to use exquisite packaging to enhance the added value of the product, increase the "gold content", or use packaging to distinguish products and create differences that go far beyond packaging. basic functions, and even the possibility of suspected fraud.
The China Consumers Association once pointed out that if the packaging volume obviously exceeds 10% of the product itself, and the packaging cost obviously exceeds 30% of the price of the product, it may be judged as "commercial fraud" that infringes on the rights and interests of consumers.
From the perspective of packaging enterprises, some enterprises also have problems such as insufficient estimation of packaging force value and insufficient control ability.
"In order to deal with the bumps and damages that may be encountered in all aspects of warehousing, transportation and sales, it is necessary for merchants to carry out protective packaging of goods." Sun Junjun, general manager of Zhejiang Dashengda Packaging Co., Ltd., introduced that there are currently more than 430,000 nationwide. There are more than 8,800 companies in the packaging industry. Some small packaging companies have insufficient estimates of the force value of packaging and weak control capabilities, which may easily lead to excessive packaging in order to improve the safety factor.
"Restricting excessive packaging also depends on the continuous change of consumer awareness." In Han Xueshan's view, for a long time, due to the lack of mandatory standards, relevant measures have been difficult to truly implement.
The introduction of the new standard will help to gradually reverse the packaging awareness of merchants and consumers from both sides of supply and demand.
"Only by forming a wider range of green and environmental protection concepts among consumers, not blindly following packaging, focusing on the product itself, and leading new supply with new demand, can lightweight and reduced packaging become the norm."
How to do subtraction?
Implement standards, innovate technology, innovate design... Collaborate to promote new fashion
In recent years, as the concept of green development has taken root in the hearts of the people, it has gradually become a consensus to improve product packaging from aesthetic design rather than complex packaging.
The whole industry chain works together to promote the formation of new packaging trends.
Upstream, businesses innovate designs to increase practicability.
For example, the Mid-Autumn Mooncake gift box launched by Hey Tea Cake Home strictly controls the packaging to 3 layers.
At the same time, a sturdy, high-transparency acrylic box is used as the inner packaging, supplemented by a moon-themed design, which can not only effectively protect the product, but also be used as a storage box for secondary use.
In the midstream, packaging companies innovate technology to improve quality and efficiency.
By developing an artificial intelligence packaging design system, Dashengda Packaging Co., Ltd. utilizes the accumulated case database and external resource library to quickly provide several structural and graphic design solutions according to customer needs, and use appropriate packaging materials to achieve effective product performance. Mechanical support reduces the design cost while reducing the amount of packaging used.
Downstream, the e-commerce platform encourages and guides, and encourages original packaging.
"Original packaging refers to the packaging form in which the goods have protective functions during logistics and transportation, and can be shipped directly without secondary packaging." The relevant person in charge of JD Logistics introduced that JD Logistics encourages upstream companies to implement original packaging through preferential policies for warehousing. At present, there are thousands of products that can be shipped directly from the factory in their original packaging, reducing the use of logistics cartons by more than 200 million, and reducing the use of paper by about 125,000 tons.
It is a long-term project to control over-packaging of commodities.
Experts suggest that while accelerating the improvement of relevant standards and policies, we should also encourage and guide businesses to use recyclable and degradable materials as much as possible when choosing packaging materials; support packaging companies to actively use new technologies to innovate packaging design, develop high-strength, Lightweight new material.
"With the introduction and implementation of new standards, the concept of green environmental protection in the industrial chain will continue to deepen, and new trends will be formed faster." Han Xueshan revealed that the revision of the "General Rules for Restricting Excessive Packaging of Commodities" is also being accelerated. related systems.
Our reporter Han Xin