A Look at the Diverse Plastic Packaging Policies of Various Countries

Editor's note: After years of development, it is widely believed that flexible packaging will sweep across all products. Typical examples are tuna and pet food, where retort pouches have become dominant after decades of canning. Recently, glass jars for baby food have also been replaced by retort pouches.

Recently, the California State Legislature reached an agreement to ban non-degradable plastic bags in local supermarkets, stores and pharmacies by 2016. After years of failed negotiations, California lawmakers have finally worked out a compromise bill in recent days, requiring supermarkets to stop using plastic bags by July 2015, with the ban extended to pharmacies and stores one year later.

After plastic bags are banned, stores may sell bags made of recycled paper or reusable bags, at 10 cents each. The California legislature has in fact debated the issue of banning plastic bags for years, but has always faced opposition from plastic bag manufacturers. This agreement will require the use of USD 2 million in loans and subsidies to assist these companies and train their employees to switch to producing a new generation of reusable eco-friendly bags.

The plastics used to package food are typically the same materials used in healthcare, including artificial organs that remain in long-term close contact with human tissue. Plastics are generally recommended by public organizations as materials for such uses. BPF later pointed out that plastic packaging is not only safe but also makes a major contribution to public health.

The European Parliament's Environment Committee also recently expressed support for a proposal to reduce packaging and packaging waste in the EU, which focuses mainly on reducing the use of lightweight plastic carrier bags.

MEPs agreed that legislation is needed to achieve an 80% reduction in the consumption of plastic bags (less than 50 microns thick) in EU countries by 2019, and a 50% reduction by 2017.

The committee said member states can achieve the set targets through measures such as taxation, marketing restrictions or bans.

Danish MEP Margrete Auken said: "If the relevant policies are properly coordinated, achieving this target is not difficult. The committee supports relevant member states in legislating to insist on charging for plastic bags when food is purchased." Plastic bags may be provided free of charge only when purchasing some foods without outer packaging, such as raw meat, fish and dairy products.

However, in response to an article published by the UK's The Guardian about "safety issues caused by the migration of chemicals from food packaging", the British Plastics Federation (BPF) responded: plastic packaging is a safe and indispensable industry. Plastic packaging is now widely used in electronics, food, beverages, alcohol, tea, cigarettes, pharmaceuticals, health products, cosmetics, small home appliances, clothing, toys, sporting goods and other industries, as well as in supporting product packaging sectors.

The Guardian cited an academic paper warning of the long-term damage of exposure to synthetic materials and urging further research. This is alarmism, said Philip Law, Director General of the BPF. Moreover, the industry's views were never sought from people within the industry. Many chemicals are all lumped together under the label "synthetic materials", without regard for their individual characteristics.

Over the past 50 years, plastic packaging has greatly advanced food hygiene. The days when corner stores had to shoo flies away from exposed butter packs are now quite distant. Before durable and sealed packaging came into being, it is hardly surprising that perishable foods caused a worrying mortality rate due to improper packaging.

——This article is reprinted from China Packaging Network (pack.cn). Original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-361741.html