The State Council Order was issued! Countdown to the implementation of the express green packaging policy

On April 13, Premier Li Qiang signed State Council Order No. 806, promulgating the "Decision of the State Council on Amending the Interim Regulations on Express Delivery", which will come into force on June 1, 2025. The new regulations focus on encouraging express delivery companies to use degradable and environmentally friendly packaging materials, further strengthen the legal obligations of express delivery companies in the use of green packaging materials, and clarify penalty provisions.

Premier Li Qiang pointed out: "Green transformation is not an 'optional question', but a 'mandatory question'. "This policy tone means that the policies related to green governance in the express delivery industry are about to enter the stage of rapid implementation.

Laws and regulations are "on strength", and the countdown to the "plastic ban" of express tape

In January 2020, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment issued the "Opinions on Further Strengthening Plastic Pollution Control", which clearly stated for the first time that by the end of 2025, the use of non-degradable plastic tape will be completely banned in postal express outlets across the country.

Since then, policies have been promoted and continuously pressurized: the 2022 "Measures for the Administration of Mail Express Packaging" establishes a main responsibility mechanism of "who uses and who is responsible", and in 2024, the "Measures for the Administration of the Express Market" revises a new fine of up to 20,000 yuan, until the just-revised "Interim Regulations on Express Delivery", the policy level has completed the iterative upgrade from advocacy and guidance to administrative penalties.

According to data from the State Post Bureau, in 2024, China will have an average of 480 million express parcels per day. The consumption of express tape is huge, and it is mainly non-degradable tape, which is difficult to recycle and degrade, and policy pressure is practical and urgent.

As the time point of the "plastic ban" approaches, the industry is about to enter a period of hard constraints. The Postal Administration of Shanghai, Chongqing and other places has issued regulations requiring all express delivery outlets to prohibit the use of non-degradable plastic tape. Whoever can take the lead in completing the complete replacement of non-degradable tapes will take the initiative in the green transformation; Enterprises that continue to wait and see will have to face the dual challenges of compliance risk and public opinion pressure.

More than 100 billion meters of non-degradable tape has become a "cure for stubborn diseases"

Driven by policies, leading companies such as JD.com and SF Express will achieve initial results in packaging reduction and recycling in 2024: JD Logistics will launch 960,000 recycling boxes, SF Express will launch 345,000 recycling boxes, and Cainiao will achieve 156,000 tons of carbon emission reduction through green packaging solutions.

However, these explorations focus on "visible links" such as cartons and transfer bags, and most companies have not stopped using non-degradable tapes in the high-frequency use of box sealing, and have not fully disclosed relevant actions and transformation results.

According to data from the State Post Bureau, the national express delivery business volume will reach 175.08 billion pieces in 2024, a year-on-year increase of 21.5%. It is estimated that the average amount of tape used per express delivery in China is 0.8 meters, and it is estimated that the annual consumption of express tape exceeds 140 billion meters, which can circle the earth's equator about 3,500 times. Most of these tapes are still non-degradable tapes, which have become the "invisible but heaviest" pollution burden in express packaging.

Up to now, in addition to China Post and J&T Express, several major express delivery giants have not announced clear alternatives to degradable tapes, nor have they disclosed the actual landing procurement or substitution ratio. Compared with "highly visible" environmental protection actions such as lightweight cartons and circular packaging, tape, as a "high-frequency small material", has been ignored for a long time because it is not easy to detect.

The express delivery business volume and tape usage of some delivery companies in 2024

• 1. Delivery enterprisesExpress business volume (100 million pieces)Tape usage estimate (100 million meters)Equivalent to the number of circles around the EarthThe main measures for tape greeningThe use of degradable tape

• 2. China Post180144359Launched BOPLA biodegradable tapeThe use of degradable tape has been promoted in many provinces across the country, and high-frequency scenarios in some cities have been fully implemented

• 3. ZTO Express340272679Tape slimmingNot publicly disclosed

• 4. YTO Express265.73213532Tape slimmingNot publicly disclosed

• 5. J&T Express246.5197492Use BOPLA biodegradable tapeA total of 344,000 rolls of degradable tape were used

• 6. Yunda Express237.83190474Tape slimmingNot publicly disclosed

• 7. Shentong Express227.29182454Tape slimmingNot publicly disclosed

• 8. SF Holdings132.62106265Tape slimmingNot publicly disclosed

• 9. JD LogisticsNot disclosed--Tape slimmingNot publicly disclosed

Data source: State Post Bureau, enterprise annual reports and public data (the amount of tape is estimated according to the industry's common calculation standard, that is, "the average use of tape per express is about 0.8 meters")

The green transformation of express packaging faces significant obstacles. According to the "China Science News", enterprises generally choose traditional materials to save costs, and the promotion of environmentally friendly packaging is limited.

The State Post Bureau pointed out that the green development of express packaging still has problems such as insufficient upstream and downstream coordination, high cost pressure, and imperfect recycling system. Although the E-commerce Law and the Interim Regulations on Express Delivery put forward clear requirements for express green packaging, due to the lack of specific punishment measures, enterprises have formal problems such as coping with inspections and temporary rectification in actual implementation, which affects the effective implementation of relevant policies.

Hu Dongfang, a deputy to the National People's Congress, bluntly said during the two sessions: "I still saw that some express delivery companies and e-commerce merchants use a large number of disposable plastic packaging materials in order to pursue low cost and high efficiency. ”

The Department of Environmental Protection of the National Development and Reform Commission disclosed that Hainan, as a national express green packaging demonstration province, once had a usage rate of more than 90% of degradable packaging bags and recycled transfer bags, but the packaging was reduced、There are still illegal acts in key links such as recycling and management, and many delivery outlets still use non-degradable tape. Even the "model student" Hainan has a stubborn governance problem, and the situation in other regions is even more worrying.

The postal service took the lead in firing the "first shot" of the green transformation of tape

In the face of plastic pollution caused by express tape, China Post took the lead in promoting alternatives. In June 2023, according to CCTV, China Post successfully developed a new generation of BOPLA biodegradable tape, achieving key breakthroughs in performance and cost.

BOPLA tape is made of polylactic acid (PLA) extracted from plant starch fermentation, which is a new environmentally friendly material with renewable source, controlled degradation and stable performance. According to the data of "Express Magazine", the average elongation at break of BOPLA tape is 113%, which is 3.5 times higher than that of the previous generation of biodegradable tape, which fully meets the performance requirements of the standard of express packaging tape.

During the "Double Eleven" period in 2023, China Post took the lead in piloting the use of BOPLA tape in Xiamen, Guangzhou, Fuzhou and other cities; In March 2024, China Post launched a nationwide tape tender, marking the transition of biodegradable tape from a regional pilot to a large-scale promotion stage.

After nearly two years of national promotion and market inspection, BOPLA tape has become a recognized green tape solution in the industry with multiple advantages such as performance and cost. China Post has set a practical benchmark for the green transformation of tape in the express delivery industry through the complete path of "technology research and development-pilot verification-national promotion".

How to win the green battle of tape?

The State Council officially announced the revised "Interim Regulations on Express Delivery", marking the completion of the institutional guarantee for express packaging management. The new regulations clearly stipulate that enterprises must use environmentally friendly materials that meet national mandatory standards, otherwise they will face penalties. With the official implementation of the regulations on June 1, the governance of express packaging will also enter the stage of strong supervision.

From the green governance of the "last mile" of express delivery to the green innovation of "a roll of tape", express packaging governance is the only way for the industry to move towards high-quality development, and it is also an important battlefield for the construction of ecological civilization in China. On this battlefield, regulators, enterprises, practitioners and other parties need to work together.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.