Борьба с избыточной упаковкой: информирование потребителей имеет ключевое значение, однако не менее важна информация об упаковке на уровне компании

"Open the cosmetics packaging, and inside is a ribbon gift box wrapped in foam paper; open the gift box, peel off the wrapping paper, and a fist-sized package box "lies" on a pile of shredded paper; unwrap it once more, and only then do you reach the 30 ml glass bottle..." Excessive packaging like this has drawn plenty of ridicule and opposition from consumers.

Finding: Some Goods Are Over-Packaged

What Is "Excessive Packaging"?

Bao Dongsheng, head of the Measurement Management Section of the Hohhot Municipal Market Supervision Administration, explained, "Excessive packaging refers to packaging that goes beyond the normal functional requirements of packaging and exceeds the necessary level in three aspects: packaging void ratio, number of packaging layers, and packaging cost. That is, packaging that uses too much material, is too heavy, is too bulky, or costs too much."

Over the past few days, the reporter carried out investigations and interviews on the problem of excessive product packaging.

On March 30, at a large supermarket, the reporter noticed that among liquor packages, a gift box that could hold two bottles contained only one bottle; the yellow silk cloth used for decoration looked especially luxurious, and there was also the problem of layer upon layer of packaging.

On the same day, at a cosmetics counter in a shopping mall in Hohhot, the reporter saw that almost all brands offered separate gift box products with exquisite and luxurious appearances. Some products claimed that buying the gift box set was more favorable.

"Excessive packaging, with its one-sided pursuit of the added value of luxurious packaging, will undoubtedly consume a large amount of resources and aggravate environmental pollution. At the same time, it also leads some consumers to blindly compare with others, forming a consumption psychology that admires appearances and ignores the true quality of products," said Bao Dongsheng.

Goods with excessive packaging are jokingly called "exquisite garbage" by consumers. In interviews, most consumers said they did not like excessive packaging.

At Ms. Wang's home there is a kind of luxuriously packaged tea: two small bags of pre-portioned tea are placed in two pretty tin boxes, which are then put into a large rigid gift box, with foam and dividers placed inside as well; it looks quite valuable. "This kind of gift box is mainly for giving to others, to look classy and save face. If it were for personal use, people certainly would not buy the gift box version."

Consumer Mr. Liu reported that excessive packaging also appears in the toy gift sector: ordinary toys or ordinary stationery placed in a big, pretty blind box immediately multiply in value. In the end, this exquisite packaging is thrown away as garbage.

Netizens' opposition to excessive packaging is even stronger. They believe that apart from fueling a mentality of comparison, excessive packaging, more importantly, causes a waste of resources and pollution to the environment.

On March 28, the China Consumers Association released the "Research on the Issue of Excessive Commodity Packaging and Consumer Perception Survey Report".

The report shows that 80.7% of consumers oppose excessive packaging, and 92.2% of consumers are not familiar with the criteria for judging excessive packaging of goods. Because calculating the packaging void ratio in the national standard is too professional for ordinary consumers and is difficult to popularize, consumers mainly rely on their feelings to judge whether product packaging counts as excessive packaging, checking whether it is "deceptive packaging" or "luxurious packaging" - the most frequently used method.

Change: Green Packaging Is Gaining Ground

In recent years, as relevant policies have been introduced one after another, some goods, such as washing powder and laundry detergent, are available both as filled products and as simply packaged products. These highly practical green packaging products give consumers more rational choices.

In Inner Mongolia, what is more obvious is that the express delivery industry is undergoing positive changes of "greening, reduction, and recyclability".

Qian Lixing, head of public affairs at SF Express Inner Mongolia, told the reporter: "In 2022, in order to avoid excessive packaging, the company comprehensively launched green R&D and use plans in areas such as green packaging, recyclable packaging, green logistics transportation, online optimization of office processes, and energy conservation and emission reduction, integrating green environmental protection throughout the entire express delivery process."

He said that the technical department at headquarters worked with suppliers to advance the optimization and reshaping of materials, and through new materials, new technologies and new models carried out a comprehensive green upgrade and innovation of SF Express's express packaging, changing the long-standing practice of using bubble film as inner packaging, focusing on air cushion packaging, reducing the amount of packaging material used by using local fixing consumables, and replacing traditional bubble film with inflatable gourd film to reduce PE usage. They also increased the use of some "π-BOX" circulating boxes; the PP honeycomb board material of this circulating box accounts for 99% of its weight, and the single material makes it easier to recycle. In 2022, more than 7,000 circulating boxes were used in the Inner Mongolia region.

The reporter learned from the Inner Mongolia Postal Administration that as of the end of 2022, the proportion of packaging materials purchased and used by the postal industry in the region that met standards reached 98.14%, the proportion of packaging operations carried out in accordance with specifications reached 97.72%, the use of recyclable express boxes (cartons) reached 424,300 units, and the number of recycled and reused corrugated cartons reached 15,706,500 units. The rate of e-commerce express parcels no longer being packaged a second time reached 98.95%, and the level of reduction, standardization and recycling of express packaging rose steadily. This year, the rate of e-commerce express parcels no longer being packaged a second time will be raised again, two special campaigns will be carried out against excessive and arbitrary packaging and plastic pollution, and the green transformation of express packaging across the region will be accelerated.

Direction: "Slimming Down" Excessive Packaging

Recently, the General Office of the People's Government of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region issued the "Notice on Several Measures to Further Strengthen the Governance of Excessive Commodity Packaging", to further strengthen the governance of excessive commodity packaging across the region.

An initiative recently issued by the Inner Mongolia Pharmaceutical Industry Association drew the reporter's attention. The initiative calls on pharmaceutical manufacturers to eliminate excessive drug packaging and let medicines travel light. Wang Yueming, co-secretary-general of the association, said: "We call on pharmaceutical manufacturers across the region to guard against excessive drug packaging, reduce packaging costs, and achieve a reduction in packaging materials, ultimately achieving a 'slimming' of the packaging box, with more pills per blister pack, fewer packaging layers, and a lower packaging void ratio." He suggested, "Let the public gain an in-depth understanding of the harm of excessive drug packaging and correctly understand green packaging, and guide consumers to change the mistaken belief that 'drug quality can be judged by packaging and price', so that they can choose medicines more rationally."

Market supervision departments are also stepping up efforts to govern excessive packaging. According to Bao Dongsheng, market supervision departments first regulate from the source, raising manufacturers' awareness of the adverse effects of excessive packaging, and focus on carrying out targeted special enforcement against hot-selling goods such as food and cosmetics in the circulation field, focusing on checking whether the number of packaging layers, the packaging void ratio, and the ratio of packaging cost to commodity selling price meet national standard requirements. During inspections, law enforcement officers require operators to genuinely raise environmental awareness and reduce resource consumption and the generation of waste.

In interviews, some industry insiders suggested that while tackling excessive packaging at the source, a correct philosophy of production and consumption should be established: enterprises should produce more value-for-money products rather than spending their efforts on excessive packaging; consumers should consume rationally, "see things as they really are", and not be tempted by flashy excessive packaging, so as to jointly promote simplified packaging as a new trend of green living.

——This article is reprinted from China Packaging Network (pack.cn). Original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-379411.html