97% of Chinese complain about excessive packaging

BEIJING - About 97.5 percent of respondents to a poll conducted by the China Youth Daily believe excessive packaging is a serious problem for shoppers, according to survey results published by the paper on Tuesday.

Some 48.4 percent of the polled 4,306 respondents said plainly-packaged products are scarce and they are often forced to buy products with large amounts of packaging.

The survey indicated that 83.2 percent of respondents consider excessive packaging to be a waste of resources and a cause of environmental damage.

By contrast, only 14.3 percent of those surveyed said they approve of excessive packaging, saying the packaging is a result of market demand.

"Nowadays, excessively packaged products are not bought for their luxury, but for showing off," Liu Junhai, a law professor at Renmin University, was quoted as saying.

"Expensive products have a pragmatic value, but there is no value for showy consumption," Liu added.

In February, China's legislature approved an amended version of the Law on the Promotion of Clean Production, which stresses efforts to battle excessive packaging.

The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) adopted the amended law, which stipulates that enterprises should package their products in a manner that "properly matches the products' quality, size and cost and results in less packaging waste."

While urging the government to cut down on excessive packaging through legislation, Liu said measures like tax reductions and financial assistance should also be taken to encourage plain packaging.

Liu added that education on the hazards of excessive packaging should also be strengthened.