The first mandatory national standard for express packaging will be implemented this month to accelerate the green and low-carbon transformation of the industry
On June 1, my country's first mandatory national standard on express packaging,"Limits for Heavy Metals and Specific Substances for Express Packaging"(hereinafter referred to as the "National Standard for Express Packaging"), was officially implemented. On the same day, another recommended national standard on express packaging,"Express Recycling Packaging Boxes"(hereinafter referred to as the "National Standard for Recycling Boxes"), also began to be implemented.
Liu Jiaqi, PhD in Law on Environment and Resource Protection, said in an interview with a reporter from Securities Daily that the implementation of the two new standards means that on the one hand, my country's express delivery industry is accelerating its development in a green and low-carbon direction, and on the other hand, it also affects the express delivery industry. The overall transformation and upgrading have formed a counter-force mechanism.
Two express national standards have been implemented
In recent years, my country's express delivery industry has continued to develop rapidly. According to statistics from the State Post Bureau, in 2023, my country will complete a total of 132.07 billion express delivery services, a year-on-year increase of 19.4%.
Among the two national standards for the express delivery industry that came into effect on June 1, the "National Standard for Express Packaging" is the first mandatory national standard on express packaging. The standard proposes overall limit requirements and individual limit requirements for heavy metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium, and chromium for express packaging products such as paper, plastics, textile fibers and composite materials, and stipulates solvent residues, bisphenol A, and phthalates. Limit requirements for specific substances such as phthalates, and provides test methods and sampling preparation requirements to provide technical basis for the production and testing of express green packaging.
The "National Standard for Recycling Boxes" clarifies the three structures of express recycling packaging boxes: nested, foldable, and combined; it proposes the strength requirements for resin and vegetable box boards, as well as the physical properties, size and tolerances of the whole box. Technical requirements and test methods such as environmental protection; it provides suggestions on cycle times and labels for express recycling packaging boxes, and guides the establishment of a packaging box recycling operation management system.
"Mandatory standards are mandatory and binding at the legal level and are not allowed to be violated or changed for any reason or way, and relevant units are required to strictly implement them. Recommended standards rely more on voluntary adoption by enterprises and market regulation, and can play a normative and guiding role." Hu Mingming, a lawyer from Liaoning Tongfang Law Firm, said in an interview with a reporter from Securities Daily that after the mandatory standards are officially implemented, companies operating express delivery services should give priority to purchasing products that are conducive to environmental protection and use packaged products that meet national mandatory standards.
Li Pengyan, founder of New Hotspot Wealth, said in an interview with a reporter from Securities Daily: "Emerging business formats such as fresh food cold chain, rural delivery, and integrated warehouse distribution continue to emerge, and automation, informatization, digital intelligence, and greening are accelerating in an all-round way. The two new standards combine the development practice of the express delivery industry in recent years and incorporate new technologies, new models, and new achievements. The implementation of the two standards will help further promote the green development of the express delivery industry."
Green and low-carbon transformation is accelerating
"With the rapid development of e-commerce and logistics, express delivery has become a huge industry, and packaging is a very important part of the express delivery industry." Zhang Yue, chairman of Aoyou International, believes that the implementation of the two national standards is to standardize the packaging behavior of the express delivery industry and reduce harm to the environment and human health. Among them, the "National Standard for Express Packaging" more clearly stipulates the limits of heavy metals and specific substances in express packaging materials to ensure the safety and environmental protection of express packaging. At the same time, these standards also help reduce the generation of packaging waste and further promote the development of green logistics.
Bai Wenxi, vice chairman of the China Enterprise Capital Alliance, believes that the implementation of the two national standards aims to improve the environmental protection and safety of express packaging materials, help reduce environmental pollution of express packaging materials, and reduce the demand for resources.
While the 'standardization, recycling, reduction and harmlessness' of packaging in the express delivery industry has become the general trend and has been widely recognized, the green and low-carbon transformation of the express delivery industry is also accelerating. For example, Yuantong Express has achieved green development results in many aspects such as warehousing, transportation, and packaging.
According to Pan Shuimiao, director and president of Yuantong Express, recently introduced at the 2023 and the first quarter of 2024 performance briefing that the company actively responded to the national "double carbon" strategic goal in green management and developed its own "carbon footprint" digital management system. According to systematic statistics, the company will reduce the carbon dioxide equivalent emission of single ticket express delivery by 19.20g in 2023; in terms of green transportation, the company introduced 110 new energy vans during the Hangzhou Asian (Disabled) Games to reduce transportation carbon emissions; In terms of green express delivery projects, the company uses more than 200 million packages packaged by recyclable express delivery throughout the year. At the same time, the company also continues to promote the construction of green parks, investing photovoltaic power generation equipment in multiple transfer centers, and the cumulative laid area of photovoltaic facilities reaches 64,200 square meters.
"The comprehensive advancement of green and low-carbon transformation has become an important starting point for express delivery companies to cultivate future competitive advantages." Li Pengyan believes that for the high-quality development of the express delivery industry, green environmental protection is an unavoidable issue. Enterprises in the industry should increase green technology research and development and product innovation, with the goal of reducing the impact on the environment and reducing resource consumption, in warehousing, transportation, sorting, etc. The entire process of picking, packaging, loading and unloading must achieve green and low-carbon development.
