Environmental Green Packaging - The Future of Packaging Industry (I)

According to relevant information, the current annual output of plastic packaging in China is more than 2.5 million tons, of which disposable plastic packaging, which is difficult to recycle, accounts for 30%. According to other statistics, China produces about 17 million tons of waste each year, and the annual amount of plastic packaging products is up to 1 million tons, of which plastic packaging boxes, cup plates, foaming materials, beverage bottles, A variety of plastic packaging for candy and food, as well as various plastic bags. Taking Beijing as an example, the total amount of garbage to be disposed of each year is nearly 6 million tons, and the packaging waste is about 1.5 million tons. Among the daily garbage disposal, only fast food boxes and plastic bags account for nearly 1,000 tons. A large amount of rubbish was transported to the outskirts of the city and occupied over 50,000 hectares of land. The tide of environmental protection and green packaging is rising all over the world. People are gradually realizing how important it is to treat the environment. In order to maintain the balance of ecological resources and maintain the reserves of social resources, the recycling of packaging waste is imminent.

The origin and definition of green packaging
As early as the 1970s, Germany took the lead in launching the "green packaging" with the "green dot" (green pattern of product packaging) logo. In the following decades, green packaging quickly developed around the world. In 1987, the United Nations Environment and Development Commission published "Our Common Future". In 1992, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development adopted the "Declaration on the Rio Environment and Development" and "21st Century Agenda" and other documents. The International Standardization Organization subsequently formulated ISO/CD14000. The environmental management standard system has promoted the development of green packaging around the world.
The so-called "green packaging" refers to packaging that does not cause pollution to the ecological environment, does not cause any harm to human health, can be recycled and recycled, and can promote sustainable development. In other words, the entire process of selecting, manufacturing, using, recycling, and discarding the packaging products from raw materials should meet the requirements of ecological and environmental protection. It includes resources saving, energy, avoiding waste generation, easy recycling, recycling, burning or degrading, etc. It is in line with "3R1D" (Reduce reduction, Reuse reuse, Recyc recycling And Degradable degradable) principle.

Green Packaging Labels and Regulations
In 1975, the world's first green packaging "green" logo (a circular pattern consisting of green and white arrows) - "green dot" was introduced in Germany. The "green dot" bi-colored arrow indicates that the product or package is green and can be recycled for use, meeting the requirements of ecological balance and environmental protection. In 1977, the German government launched the "Blue Sky" green environmental protection label and granted those products (including packaging) with green environmental characteristics. Since then, many countries have also begun to use the environmental labeling of product packaging. Such as Canada's "Maple Leaf Logo", Japan's "Love the Earth", the United States' "Natural Friendly", the "European Flower" of the European Community, "White Swan" of Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway and other Nordic countries, Singapore. "Green Mark", "Environmental Choice" in New Zealand, "Eco Products" in Portugal, etc. All products marked with the "Green Mark" indicate that the product meets the environmental protection requirements from production to use until the end of the consumer recycling. Developed countries generally stipulate that a commodity can enter the country's market only after it has obtained the country's "green logo", or it is prohibited from entering the country.
In 1981, the Danish government first introduced the "Container Container Recycling Act" in view of the adverse effects of the increase in empty containers for beverage containers. As the implementation of this law affected the free movement of goods within the European Community and the interests of all member states, it triggered a lawsuit against the "Danish bottle." In 1988, the European Court ruled that Denmark won. In order to mitigate disputes, the European Community held a conference in Dublin in June 1990 to put forward the idea of ​​"enhanced environmental protection" and formulated the "Transportation Law for Wastes", which stipulated that packaging wastes should not be shipped to other countries, and countries should take responsibility for waste.
Germany responded positively to the call of the European Community and passed the "German Packaging Act" in 1991, and subsequently promulgated the "Circular Economy and Waste Management Law", which stipulates that commodity producers and distributors recycle packaging waste and require containers and packaging. To put a green logo, the green logo usage fee depends on how easy it is to recycle and reuse the packaging waste.
Austria introduced the "Packaging Regulations" in 1992 and later released the "Policy Objectives Regulations" to supplement them, requiring producers and sellers to receive and collect transportation packaging, used packaging and sales packaging free of charge, and require 80% recovery. Packaging resources are recycled and recycled.
In 1993, France enacted the "Regulations on Packaging", which required that the amount of household waste disposed of by landfill be reduced. The Transport Packaging Regulations were enacted in 1994, which clearly stipulates that except for household packaging, the final user of all packaging should separate the product from the packaging and recycle it by the company and the retailer.
Belgium passed the "National Ecological Law" in 1993, and also established an ecological tax, which stipulates that paper packaging and reusable packaging can be tax-free, and other materials must be taxed.
In order to promote the development of green packaging, the British government has not only enacted the "Regulations on Packaging Wastes," but also has formed a "producer responsibility industrial group" consisting of 28 companies in the packaging and food industries to promote the collection and reuse of packaging waste throughout the country. Processing system.
As a powerful economic power in the world, the United States has early noticed the dangers of packaging waste. The states have formulated relevant policies and regulations. In 1993, the California government made a special "Branches for Ransom of Beverage Containers", which stipulated that all hard plastic containers should be recycled and reused must meet the requirements of the reduction of 10% of the raw materials used in 1991, or must contain 25% of the recyclables. The state government of Florida actively promotes the Waste Disposal Prepayment Act (AFD), which deals with the cost of packaging waste to consumers of free choice of products in order to encourage packaging container manufacturers to recycle and support the implementation of the law. The AFD law stipulates that tax can be applied for exemption of waste as long as it reaches a certain level of recycling. For example, according to various data released by the US Environmental Protection Agency (DEP) every year, containers with a recovery rate of more than 50% can be exempted from pre-payment to encourage All producers guarantee that at least half of their products can be recycled.