NDRC Plots Circular Economy Course: E-Commerce Express Parcels to Basically End Secondary Packaging by 2025

According to the official website of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), in order to implement the requirements of the Circular Economy Promotion Law and further advance the development of the circular economy, the NDRC recently issued the "14th Five-Year Plan for the Development of the Circular Economy" (hereinafter the "Plan"), which requires that by 2025 circular production methods be fully implemented, green design and cleaner production be widely promoted, the capacity for comprehensive resource utilization be significantly enhanced, and a resource-circular industrial system be basically established. Among other things, the "Plan" requires strengthening the green governance of express packaging and realizing original packaging direct shipping for key categories of parcels. By 2025, e-commerce parcels will basically no longer be subject to secondary packaging.

By 2025, comprehensive resource utilization capacity will be significantly enhanced

The "Plan" points out that since the 13th Five-Year Plan period, China's circular economy development has achieved positive results; in 2020 the main resource productivity rate was about 26% higher than in 2015, energy consumption per unit of GDP continued to fall sharply, and water consumption per unit of GDP decreased cumulatively by 28%. At the same time, however, China's circular economy development still faces prominent problems such as low resource output efficiency in key industries, a low level of standardization in the recycling and utilization of renewable resources, a lack of land-use guarantees for recycling facilities, difficulty in recycling and utilizing low-value recyclables, and high generation intensity, insufficient utilization and low added value of comprehensive utilization products for bulk solid waste.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, whether viewed from the perspective of global green development trends and climate change response requirements, or from the perspective of domestic resource demand and utilization levels, China must vigorously develop the circular economy, focus on resolving prominent contradictions and problems, achieve efficient and circular use of resources, and promote high-quality economic and social development.

The "Plan" requires that by 2025 circular production methods be fully implemented, green design and cleaner production be widely promoted, the capacity for comprehensive resource utilization be significantly enhanced, and a resource-circular industrial system be basically established. The waste materials recycling network will be further improved, the capacity for circular utilization of renewable resources will be further enhanced, and a resource circular utilization system covering the whole society will be basically completed. Resource utilization efficiency will be greatly improved, the proportion of renewable resources substituting for primary resources will be further increased, and the supporting and safeguarding role of the circular economy for resource security will be further highlighted.

By 2025, the main resource productivity rate will be about 20% higher than in 2020; energy consumption and water consumption per unit of GDP will fall by about 13.5% and 16% respectively compared with 2020; the comprehensive utilization rate of crop straw will remain above 86%; the comprehensive utilization rate of bulk solid waste will reach 60%; the comprehensive utilization rate of construction waste will reach 60%; the amount of waste paper utilized will reach 60 million tons; the amount of scrap steel utilized will reach 320 million tons; the output of recycled non-ferrous metals will reach 20 million tons, of which the output of recycled copper, recycled aluminum and recycled lead will reach 4 million tons, 11.5 million tons and 2.9 million tons respectively; and the output value of the resource recycling industry will reach RMB 5 trillion.

Complete key tasks in three areas to vigorously develop the circular economy

The "Plan" points out that vigorously developing the circular economy, promoting economical and intensive resource use, and building a resource-circular industrial system and a waste materials circular utilization system are of great significance for safeguarding national resource security, promoting the realization of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, and advancing ecological civilization construction. The "Plan" specifically proposes key tasks in three areas.

First, build a resource-circular industrial system and improve resource utilization efficiency. The "Plan" requires "promoting green design of key products," "strengthening cleaner production in key industries," "advancing circular development of parks," "strengthening comprehensive resource utilization," and "advancing coordinated disposal of urban waste," among others.

Second, build a waste materials circular utilization system and construct a resource-circular society. Among other things, the "Plan" requires improving the waste materials recycling network. Recycling-related facilities for waste materials will be incorporated into the national territorial spatial master plan to guarantee land-use needs; the recycling network system will be rationally laid out and built in a standardized manner; and the "two-network integration" of waste materials collection points and domestic waste sorting points will be advanced in a coordinated way. Restrictions on waste materials recycling vehicles entering cities and residential compounds will be relaxed and managed in a standardized manner, and reasonable right of way will be guaranteed. The "Internet + recycling" model will be actively promoted to achieve online-offline coordination, improve the ability of standardized recycling enterprises to integrate individual operators, and further improve the convenience for residents in depositing and selling waste materials. The operating order of the waste materials recycling industry will be standardized, and the industry's overall image and management level will be enhanced. Rural recycling networks will be improved according to local conditions, promoting the integrated development of urban and rural waste materials recycling and treatment systems. The supply and marketing cooperative system will be supported in using its sales and service network to carry out waste materials recycling.

At the same time, the "Plan" requires standardized development of the second-hand goods market. Regulations on the circulation of second-hand goods will be improved; standards for the authentication, evaluation and grading of second-hand goods such as vehicles, home appliances and mobile phones will be established and improved; and the circulation order and transaction behavior of second-hand goods will be standardized. The development of the "Internet + second-hand" model will be encouraged; the management responsibility of internet trading platforms will be strengthened; transaction behavior supervision will be reinforced; standardized and regulated services will be provided for second-hand goods transactions; platform enterprises will be encouraged to bring in third-party professional second-hand goods operators to improve the efficiency of second-hand goods transactions. The standardized construction and operation of offline physical second-hand markets will be promoted, and the building of centralized, standardized "flea markets" will be encouraged. Schools at all levels will be encouraged to set up old-book sharing corners and sharing days to promote the exchange and use of old books among teachers and students. Communities will be encouraged to regularly organize second-hand goods trading activities to promote the trading and circulation of idle items among households within their jurisdictions. The "Plan" also requires "enhancing the level of processing and utilization of renewable resources" and "promoting high-quality development of the remanufacturing industry," among others.

Third, deepen the development of the agricultural circular economy and establish circular agricultural production methods. The "Plan" proposes "strengthening the resource utilization of agricultural and forestry waste," "strengthening the recycling and utilization of waste agricultural materials," and "promoting the circular agriculture development model," among others.

In addition, the "Plan" also proposes eleven key actions, including the "Urban Waste Materials Circular Utilization System Construction Project," the "Park Circular Development Project," the "Bulk Solid Waste Comprehensive Utilization Demonstration Project," the "Construction Waste Resource Utilization Demonstration Project," the "Circular Economy Key Technology and Equipment Innovation Project," the "High-Quality Development Action for the Remanufacturing Industry," the "Action to Improve the Recycling and Utilization of Waste Electrical and Electronic Products," the "Action to Advance Full Life-Cycle Management of Automobiles," the "Special Action for Full-Chain Plastic Pollution Control," the "Action to Advance the Green Transformation of Express Packaging," and the "Action for Circular Utilization of Waste Power Batteries."

Among them, the "Plan" requires strengthening the green governance of express packaging and promoting cooperation between e-commerce and manufacturers to realize original packaging direct shipping for key categories of parcels. Upstream and downstream enterprises in packaging production, e-commerce and express delivery will be encouraged to establish industry alliances; support will be given to establishing a qualified supplier system for express packaging products, and production enterprises will be pushed to conscientiously carry out packaging reduction. A green product certification system for express packaging will be implemented. Pilot projects for the large-scale application of recyclable express packaging will be carried out, and the application proportion of circular transfer bags (boxes) will be greatly increased. Efforts to promote and apply standardized, green, circular shared turnover boxes will be intensified. E-commerce and express delivery enterprises will be encouraged to cooperate with commercial institutions, convenience stores and property service enterprises to set up agreed collection points for recyclable express packaging and install specialized recycling facilities for recyclable express packaging. By 2025, e-commerce parcels will basically no longer be subject to secondary packaging, and the scale of application of recyclable express packaging will reach 10 million units.

——This article is reproduced from China Packaging Network (pack.cn), original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-377725.html