China continues push for greener packaging

Editor's note: China Daily is publishing a series illustrating the country's efforts to achieve its carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals.

With express delivery ubiquitous in China, where almost 175 billion packages were delivered last year, the public and private sectors are taking steps to address the reduction of packaging waste and forge a more sustainable way forward for the rapidly growing industry.

Last year, express deliveries in China reached 174.5 billion, the most for any country in the world for the 11th straight year, and a rise of 21 percent year-on-year.

According to a report released by the State Post Bureau, in 2022 alone, approximately 9.92 billion packaging boxes and about 16.98 billion meters of tape were consumed in China's express delivery sector.

This staggering volume has raised growing concerns about the environmental impact of packaging waste and excessive material consumption.

As of June 1, the State Council will require express delivery companies to promote greener, reduced and reusable express packaging, according to an updated regulation on the industry. The update stresses that eco-friendly, biodegradable and reusable materials are used in express delivery packaging, while avoiding excessive and wasteful packaging.

In recent years, major express delivery companies in China and postal authorities have made efforts to reduce material use, recycle packaging materials and develop degradable materials, however, more action is still needed.