Zhejiang to Ban Non-Degradable Plastic Packaging Starting Next Year

Recently, the Zhejiang Provincial Development and Reform Commission issued a notice soliciting public opinions on the Work Plan for the Governance of Excessive and Arbitrary Packaging of Mail and Express Deliveries in Zhejiang Province (2021-2022). The draft for public comment was jointly drafted by eight departments, including the Provincial Development and Reform Commission and the Provincial Postal Administration.

The plan adheres to the concept of green, low-carbon and circular development and, following the overall approach of "ban, restrict, reduce, recycle and lower", highlights targeted measures and closed-loop management, strengthens standard guidance and law enforcement supervision, mobilizes action across society, and steadily advances the governance of excessive and arbitrary packaging of mail and express deliveries.

The plan specifies that by the end of 2022,

the province will ban the use of non-degradable plastic packaging bags

and single-use plastic woven bags, and the proportion of non-degradable plastic tape used will fall to 30%. Consumables per express package will be reduced by more than 10% on average, and the rate of e-commerce express parcels that are no longer repackaged will exceed 90%.

The province will procure and use more than 800,000 recyclable packaging boxes (bags), with a 100% usage rate of recyclable transfer bags. At the same time, express delivery outlets in regions and of brands where conditions permit are encouraged and supported to stop using non-degradable plastic packaging by the end of 2021.

The plan also identifies five key tasks for the next stage.

First, improving the system of laws, regulations and standards

. Legislative work on the Regulations on the Promotion of the Express Delivery Industry of Zhejiang Province (Draft) will be advanced, a joint conference system for green express packaging standardization will be established, packaging standards for the express delivery industry in the province will be comprehensively reviewed and assessed, and a green express packaging standard system with Zhejiang characteristics will be built.

Second, strengthening green governance of express packaging.

A reporting system for the use and recycling of single-use plastic products by e-commerce companies will be established, express packaging products will be promoted toward standardization, serialization and modularization, and e-commerce companies will be encouraged to reduce the amount of express packaging used through models such as direct sourcing at the place of origin, direct shipping in original packaging and consolidated single-order shipping.

Third, strengthening the standardized management of e-commerce express deliveries.

A working system and management ledger for express packaging governance will be established, e-commerce platforms will be encouraged to set up mechanisms such as point rewards and credit scoring to guide consumers toward purchasing green products and using green or reduced packaging, green product certification for express packaging will be carried out, the development of certification bodies for green express packaging products will be promoted, and the acceptance of certification results will be advanced.

Fourth, advancing the application of recyclable express packaging.

A batch of new technologies and new products for reducing and recycling express packaging will be openly solicited and selected, the province's first recommended list of manufacturers of degradable and recyclable plastic products will be compiled, coding rules for green express packaging products will be explored and established, and the construction of a number of shared express delivery terminals and recyclable express packaging recovery facilities will be promoted.

Fifth, improving the supporting and safeguarding system.

Supervision and law enforcement for express packaging governance will be intensified, ecological and environmental protection supervision matters in the postal and express delivery industry will be included in the list of random spot-check items, and support will be increased for projects such as the development of green express logistics and distribution systems across the province and the construction of professional and intelligent recycling facilities.

The Zhejiang Bureau said that in the next step, relying on the province-wide special working mechanism for plastic pollution control, it will further strengthen coordination and policy alignment among departments to form a joint force for concerted management, promptly summarize and promote effective management measures, business models and institutional achievements in the green transformation of express packaging, and coordinate to resolve problems arising during implementation.

At the same time, typical practices and achievements in the green transformation of express packaging will be publicized extensively to actively guide green consumption. The supervisory role of consumers, news media and industry associations will be given full play, the postal industry consumer complaint hotline will be guided to keep open a channel for the public to complain about and report excessive express packaging, and a favorable social atmosphere will be created.

——This article is reprinted from China Packaging Network (pack.cn). Original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-378203.html