Focus on "Green Delivery" (2): Cardboard Boxes Get a Second Life as Packaging Does the "Subtraction

"Opening a parcel is so much more convenient now! In the past, the package was wrapped 'tight and sealed' with tape, and you had to cut away with scissors for ages. What I bought was small, but the box was big and stuffed with foam. After taking the item out, I was left with a pile of rubbish." On May 9, Liu Huiying, who lives in the Qianlijianshan residential compound in Taiyuan, was full of emotion after receiving her "small" parcel.

In recent years, in order to change excessive express packaging, Shanxi has advanced the green development of the postal industry and accelerated the treatment of excessive packaging. Express companies have also adopted new packaging methods, one after another loosening and slimming down the "puffed-up" express packaging.

Cross-shaped taping for parcels: more safety, less tape

After stacking the goods properly, first wrap a ring of tape around the middle of the box, then use tape to seal the front and rear openings, forming a "cross"; a parcel box is then packed by the courier. Just a few days ago, Shanxi SF Express held a "packaging contest", where frontline couriers competed on the same stage; not only was speed tested, but also who used fewer consumables and whose packaging was "greener".

▲Courier packing a parcel

In the contest, the couriers worked deftly and neatly, and all packed quickly, but some used too much tape, which cost them "points". If the packing was a little slower but the tape use was moderate and reasonable and the packaging was simple yet safe, they gained "points". Yang Huibin, Public Affairs Manager of Shanxi SF Express, explained that different packing methods should be adopted for cartons of different specifications. For example, small, non-fragile items need only the "I"-shaped sealing method; large or fragile items use the "H"-shaped sealing method; ordinary cartons use the "cross"-shaped taping method.

"This way, we can use as little tape as possible while ensuring the packaging is safe," Yang Huibin said. Shanxi SF Express will regularly carry out packaging training for its employees and regularly hold such "packaging contests", so that "minimalist packaging" gradually becomes an industry "consensus" and more parcels "travel light".

At the end of April, the State Administration for Market Regulation published the Express Electronic Waybill. The release and implementation of this national standard will further improve the green express packaging standards system covering envelopes, packaging boxes, tape and more, and better support the comprehensive governance of express packaging.

Recyclable eco-friendly cartons: sealing completed with a single strip of tape

At the 6th Shanxi (Yuncheng) International Fruit Trade Expo in 2021, Shanxi ZTO displayed on site a green eco-friendly carton whose bottom adopts a glue-free design, so that the whole box can be sealed with just one strip of tape. According to tests, using one green eco-friendly carton saves about 1 meter of tape compared with an ordinary carton. Shanxi ZTO mainly puts this kind of carton into use for shipping agricultural specialty products out of the region.

"Express packaging is much lighter now!" said Liu Naxin, who lives in Baiyun Shijia in Taiyuan. As an avid online shopper, she receives one or two parcels almost every day. She found that, whether large or small, most cartons are corrugated paper boxes and remain perfectly intact after the tape is torn off. "These boxes are fine for another use or two; throwing them away is really wasteful." So she collected these cartons and took them to a nearby express outlet to achieve resource reuse.

▲At the ZTO Taiyuan Operation Center in Shanxi, staff are busy sorting

Shanxi ZTO is one of the earlier express companies in Taiyuan to launch a parcel packaging box recycling service. All 65 outlets in the city are equipped with uniformly customized "express packaging recycling bins" and have unpacking tools ready for residents picking up parcels. Besides ZTO Express, express companies such as YTO, SF Express and JD.com have mostly set up express packaging recycling bins at their outlets to make packaging recycling convenient.

According to statistics, of the individual parcels collected daily by these outlets, more than 80% use second-hand recycled cartons, which saves costs for the outlets and also exempts individuals from packaging fees. In recent years, these express companies have launched different activities in Taiyuan, Yangquan, Jinzhong and many other places, such as exchanging points and giving stickers, to actively advocate the recycling and reuse of express packaging.

In 2022, the application scale of recyclable express boxes in Shanxi reached 100,000

According to information released by the Shanxi Provincial Postal Administration, by the end of 2022, Shanxi achieved a 90% proportion of procured and used packaging materials that meet standards, a 90% proportion of standardized packaging operations, an application scale of 100,000 recyclable express boxes (cases), and 15 million recycled and reused corrugated cartons.

In March, the General Office of the Shanxi Provincial People's Government issued the Several Measures of Shanxi Province on Further Strengthening the Governance of Excessive Commodity Packaging (hereinafter referred to as the "Measures"), strengthening whole-chain governance of excessive commodity packaging, and "green express delivery" gained support.

▲Staff loading and unloading goods

The "Measures" encourage delivery companies to use recyclable, easily recoverable and degradable alternative products, step up the promotion of low-grammage, high-strength cartons and glue-free cartons, optimize packaging structures, reduce the use of plastic fillers, and promote the use of recyclable delivery boxes, reusable refrigerated express boxes and the like in same-city fresh food delivery.

At express outlets in places such as campuses and communities, centralized recycling of express packaging can continue to be promoted this year, and smart parcel lockers and other end-of-line express service platforms can be promoted to recycle packaging waste.

In addition to express companies setting up "express packaging recycling bins" at their outlets, the postal authorities of Shanxi Province also encourage e-commerce and express companies to cooperate with commercial institutions, convenience stores and property service companies to set up agreed recycling points for recyclable express packaging and to install specialized recycling facilities for recyclable express packaging.

In the future, Shanxi will rely on provincial science and technology plan projects to support technological R&D in green express packaging, low-energy smart logistics and distribution, and push key enterprises to apply for national key R&D program projects.

——This article is reprinted from China Packaging Network (pack.cn). Original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-379369.html