Shanghai's Draft Packaging Reduction Legislation Takes Shape, Government Procurement to Prioritize Reasonably Packaged Goods

[ppzhan abstract]

]"In our research we found that this is a good thing, but also a difficult one," Gan Zhongze admitted frankly. Given that the state has so far established technical standards limiting excessive packaging only for certain commodities such as mooncakes and cosmetics, and that there are no dedicated laws or regulations, there are indeed many issues worth discussing and exploring if Shanghai is to enact a local regulation. "For instance, where is the entry point for reducing packaging materials? What are the criteria for judging excessive packaging? Which behaviors should be regulated as the priority?"

Tea packed in precious wooden boxes, zongzi in exquisite gift baskets, liquor offered in all kinds of bottles and jars in gift boxes... In recent years, excessive packaging of commodities has become increasingly widespread.

"There is a figure: 30% of today's urban household waste is waste generated by packaging. Reducing excessive packaging means reducing waste at the source." Gan Zhongze, chairman of the Urban Construction and Environmental Protection Committee of the Municipal People's Congress, recently told reporters that Shanghai has already launched legislation to promote the reduction of commodity packaging, and a first draft has been formed.

Progress: First draft of commodity packaging reduction legislation takes shape

"Since last year, the Municipal People's Congress has been researching Shanghai's waste sorting work." Gan Zhongze told reporters that during the research, many deputies found that the gradual advancement of waste sorting has not reduced the generation of household waste and the enormous burden it places on the environment at the source; moreover, in urban household waste, about one-third is packaging waste caused by commodity packaging, accounting for half of all solid waste. For this reason, Gan Zhongze said, given the current strong push to reduce waste, reducing commodity packaging is one of the important ways to reduce waste at the source.

Moreover, relevant data show that more than 50% of commodities in China currently suffer from excessive packaging, with the value of annual discards reaching as high as 400 billion yuan. "Excessive packaging of commodities not only wastes resources and adds to the burden of waste disposal and environmental protection, but also harms consumers' interests and has a negative impact on social conduct," Gan Zhongze said. Advanced foreign experience shows that success in waste reduction is closely related to restricting excessive packaging of commodities. "Shanghai has scarce land resources and faces enormous pressure in waste disposal. I think it is very meaningful to tackle excessive packaging of commodities and promote the reduction of packaging materials."

For this reason, Gan Zhongze told reporters, since the end of last year the city has launched legislative research on reducing packaging materials. The research team carried out in-depth investigations on many occasions, held extensive symposia with the participation of enterprises, government departments, experts and scholars, and consumers, and also collected opinions and conducted research online.

]"In our research we found that this is a good thing, but also a difficult one," Gan Zhongze admitted frankly. Given that the state has so far established technical standards limiting excessive packaging only for certain commodities such as mooncakes and cosmetics, and that there are no dedicated laws or regulations, there are indeed many issues worth discussing and exploring if Shanghai is to enact a local regulation. "For instance, where is the entry point for reducing packaging materials? What are the criteria for judging excessive packaging? Which behaviors should be regulated as the priority?"

After repeated research, the team concluded that, apart from the "national standards" covering the packaging of certain commodities such as mooncakes and cosmetics, "excessive packaging" lacks unified criteria for determination and is understood differently by society, making it difficult to achieve a breakthrough in restricting excessive packaging. "But if we approach it from the angle of promoting the reduction of commodity packaging, there is still some room for legislation."

At the same time, the research also found that reducing commodity packaging involves not only producers and consumers, but also sellers. "Most of Shanghai's commodities come from other places, so it is difficult to regulate producers' behavior. Therefore, the role of the sales link in reducing commodity packaging should be brought into full play."

Gan Zhongze also explained that in the legislative research, a distinction was made between commodities that already have "national standards" and those that do not. "For those that already have standards, we hope to implement them through local legislation; for those without standards, we can advance some incentive-based and advocacy-oriented local measures."

Up to now, a first draft of the "Several Provisions of Shanghai on the Reduction of Commodity Packaging" (tentative name) has basically taken shape, and opinions and suggestions from all sides will be further solicited.

— This article is reposted from China Packaging Network (pack.cn). Original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-362063.html