In the development of modern market economy, commodity packaging bears the role of protecting commodities, facilitating storage and transportation, and propagating and beautifying commodities. Its importance is increasingly being valued by manufacturers, businesses and consumers. The monotonous nature of China's traditional product packaging style, which only focuses on the protection of goods and ignores its role of publicity and beautification of goods, has gradually been replaced by a modern consciousness that pays attention to aesthetics and economics and highlights the effectiveness of advertising.

Although China's commodity packaging continues to improve, but there are still many problems: If the problem of easy packaging damage has not yet been solved, resulting in great losses every year; packaging waste pollution environmental problems are increasingly serious, some unscrupulous traders use packaging fraud, disrupt the market, There are also some manufacturers do not work hard to improve the quality of goods only on the packaging to play tricks, so that excessive packaging of goods, causing waste. The pollution of the packaging to the environment has been very serious, which has affected the people's lives, destroyed the environment and affected the sustainable development of the economy.

China's commodity packaging metal barrel cans, glass bottles, paper boxes and various plastic bottles, boxes, barrels, bags, etc., total about 15 million tons per year, of which about 6 million tons of plastic, and the recycling rate of packaging waste Quite low. Old paper and paperboard recycling compared to foreign countries: 22% in the United States, 40% in Japan, 50% in the EU, and only 15% in China. The plastic recycling rate is 27% in Germany, 26% in Japan, and 9.6% in China.

Plastic is second only to paper and cardboard in various packaging materials. Plastic packaging is widely used and can be used for food, food, fertilizer, cement, detergents, daily necessities, etc. As the plastic packaging is widely used and it is not easily degraded, it has caused the “white pollution” problem that plagues current society. So the voice of people calling for "green packaging" is increasing.

Generally speaking, "green packaging" has only the following meanings: First, the most provincial and least waste materials, save energy and resources; Second, easy recycling and recycling; Third, waste can be burned to produce new energy does not produce secondary pollution; Materials can degrade in nature and do not pollute the environment.

The development of green packaging is not only a reduction of pollution, it actually improves the quality of human life to maintain human health, promote ecological balance, and contribute to economic sustainable development. It will inevitably develop with the advancement of science and technology, the renewal of ideas, and economic development.

How to develop green packaging?

The first should start with the packaging design. In the packaging design, the selection of materials should focus on the reduction of packaging. The use of glass containers should be thin-walled, paper packaging must be reduced, and metal containers, aluminum-paper composites or plastic composites should not be excessively packed. We must pay attention to the conservation of packaging resources, and do not use imported materials in a conditional manner when using domestically manufactured materials. We must also pay attention to the use of recycled materials that can be reused many times. We must pay special attention to the harmlessness of packaging and avoid using plastics that are difficult to degrade and cause damage to the environment. Packaging, but also pay attention to the packaging of multi-functional used packaging can also be used for it, can reduce the amount of packaging waste.

In fact, we must vigorously develop new packaging materials, such as vegetable packaging materials that can be naturally degraded after use, and research into new biodegradable plastic varieties.

In addition, we must do a good job in the recovery and use of packaging waste: we must establish a sound recovery system and the use of price levers to increase the recovery price (the current recycling price of waste packaging materials is too low, easy to cause waste of resources, should attract the attention of relevant parties) .

Finally, we must pay attention to the recycling of recycled products. After the analysis, some of the recovered products are reduced to raw materials, and new packaging products are made. Other residues can be used to produce materials, or incinerated to produce energy.

At present, our country’s society is undergoing a transition to “legalization”. The perfection of any matter should be regulated by appropriate laws and regulations. Therefore, the society desperately hopes that there will be a China's “green packaging law” that not only regulates the disposal of packaging waste, but also the safety of packaging materials, and guarantees the protection of human health.

The developed countries have taken the first step in the issue of legalization. For example, Germany has formulated the “Circular Economy Law” on the pollution of packaging waste, and Denmark has implemented the “Green Tax” system. The United States imposes requirements on manufacturers and retailers of packaging companies to take up the responsibility. The responsibility for recycling packaging waste is comparable to that of our packaging industry. We must consider the introduction of foreign technology and management experience in developing green packaging. The formulation of our own “Green Packaging Law” has to go through a principle: Whoever polls who is responsible; whoever develops and uses waste will receive encouragement and support. Of course, there is also a certain amount of investment and policy support needed to carry out green packaging activities.

In short, the environment and resources are the two keys to human survival. They are also two major problems. China is now at a critical period of economic development during the reform and opening up. The development of "green packaging" to reduce environmental pollution is both the need to establish a new image and the need for sustainable economic development. It is a business that must be done well for the benefit of the people.

Author/Liu Beichen

Reprinted from: Packaging World