The "Green Tide" Faced by Traditional Packaging

In the new century, people will see safer and more varied packaging when purchasing a wide range of goods. The important thing is that the outerwear of these products will no longer cause pollution to the environment. This is the “green” that will lead the packaging trend in the new century. package". At the seminar on how China's packaging companies faced the challenges and opportunities of accession to the WTO in 2001, held in Zhongshan, Guangdong Province, the “green packaging” was the most talked-about topic in the industry.
The so-called “green packaging” refers to packaging that is harmless to the ecological environment and human health, can be recycled, recycled, and used for sustainable development. Developed countries in the world have determined that packaging should meet the “4R+1D” principle, namely low consumption, development of new green materials, reuse, recycling and degradability.
On the one hand, environmental protection has increasingly become a fundamental focus for countries in implementing strategies for sustainable economic development. As a basic industry for the production of packaging materials, the paper industry is one of the more polluting industries. These traditional industries will continue to develop vigorously over the next 20 years. On the other hand, in order to protect their domestic markets, developed countries use their advanced technology and environmental advantages to implement the “green mark” and create the largest non-tariff trade barrier, namely “green trade barriers”. Some products do not have green signs, and some developed countries refuse to import them, and may not offer preferential prices and tariffs. After China's accession to the WTO, although China will have a full-scale trade environment, if packaging fails to keep up, it will restrict the development of foreign trade exports and make it more difficult for China's products to reach the international market.
Authoritative sources in the industry believe that at present, China's packaging industry should strengthen its work in the following areas when it researches and develops “green packaging”:
The first is to accelerate technological innovation and develop new packaging materials, new processes and new products. This is the key to the development of "green packaging." The rapid development of modern science and technology and the increase in the technological content of products pose a threat to traditional packaging products; at the same time, changes in people's consumption concepts also pose further challenges to the use value of packaging products. For example, food is heavily packed in plastic woven bags. This kind of plastic packaging is mainly composed of a high-molecular polymer material and has high strength, low cost, and corrosion resistance, but it is harmful to the human body. The raw grains such as packaged corn are still acceptable, and the foods that are directly imported such as rice and flour are ordered. People worry. Moreover, plastic woven bags are poor in breathability, and food is easily degraded. It is not suitable for long-term storage. In addition, it is also a one-time use, which increases waste and pollutes the environment. Therefore, more scientific new packaging materials must be developed to replace plastic woven bags.
The second is to research and develop a variety of "green packaging." When it comes to "green packaging," manufacturers tend to focus on paper materials that are easy to handle in the orientation of materials. However, from the point of view of the entire production process, paper packaging does not mean "green packaging" in the full sense, because the paper industry pollutes the environment. Heavier, though recyclable, the recycled paper produced each time reduces the quality of the paper. Plastics, which are widely used now, can't be replaced by other materials. As long as they overcome the technical difficulties that cannot be degraded, plastics can become the most important green material in the new century. Therefore, "green packaging" refers not only to paper but also to degradable plastics, aluminum packaging, and even edible packaging.
Third, we must strictly abide by international practice, establish and improve China's environmental labeling system, carry out certification work from a high starting point, and achieve mutual certification between countries as soon as possible, and publicize and encourage enterprises to implement the ISO9000 series and the ISO14000 series of standards for automatic application for certification. Many developed countries have taken active measures in environmental protection packaging. For example, legislation stipulating that beer, soft drinks and mineral water must use recyclable containers, and formulate mandatory packaging and follow regulations and other laws and regulations. In 1998, China promulgated the Provisional Administrative Measures for the Recycling of Packaging Resources, which stipulated the disposal of wastes, but it was not enough to narrow the gap with international social standards.