Obstacles lie in the way of reducing China's packaging waste

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In an effort to ease environmental stress, China's new green standard for parcel packaging will take effect in less than half a year. However, there are still several obstacles to be addressed.

The new standard released in February this year encourages reusable parcel boxes, and the use of thinner, recyclable materials. The revision is the first in nine years.

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Jin Jinghua, a department director at the State Post Bureau, told Beijing News that rising costs will be a big hurdle for companies to adopt the new standard, as biodegradable plastics are generally three times more expensive than regular ones.

At the same time, the standard is not legally binding, just recommended. To make the implementation more effective, Jin said the authorities will promote the use of recyclable packages at e-commerce stores, express delivery companies and to customers. They will expedite the standard's ratification process, and establish a credibility system to supervise companies.

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Thanks to the rapid development of the e-commerce industry, more than 40 billion parcels were delivered in 2017 in China, an increase of 28 percent compared with the previous year, making China the global leader four years in a row.

Massive packaging waste, however, brings along grave threats to the environment. According to statistics from the State Post Bureau, less than 20 percent of package bags in China are recycled, and almost all tape is simply thrown away.

The new standard will take effect on September 1, 2018.