By the end of this year -

The production and sale of disposable foamed plastic tableware and disposable plastic cotton swabs are prohibited

The production of daily chemical products containing plastic microbeads is prohibited

The catering industry is prohibited from using non-degradable disposable plastic straws

The National Development and Reform Commission and nine other departments recently issued the "Notice on Solidly Promoting the Work of Plastic Pollution Control" (hereinafter referred to as the "Notice"), which made arrangements for further improving plastic pollution control, especially completing the phased goals and tasks by the end of 2020. Before the end of August, all localities launched special law enforcement inspections on the promotion of plastic bans and restrictions in key areas such as shopping malls, supermarkets, collective markets, and the catering industry.

What are the phased goals and tasks for plastic pollution control by the end of 2020? What opportunities and challenges will it bring to the plastics, packaging and other industries? The reporter interviewed relevant experts.

Many disposable plastic products will be banned by the end of the year

In January this year, the "Opinions on Further Strengthening Plastic Pollution Control" was issued and implemented. Zhang Deyuan, associate researcher at the Macroeconomic Research Institute of the National Development and Reform Commission, believes that compared with the 2007 policy, the "new version of the plastic restriction order" has built a policy system covering the entire life cycle of plastic product production, circulation, consumption and terminal disposal, and has opened a new journey for China's plastic pollution control.

First, let's look at the supply side. According to the "new version of the plastic restriction order", the production and sale of ultra-thin plastic shopping bags with a thickness of less than 0.025 mm and polyethylene agricultural mulch with a thickness of less than 0.01 mm are prohibited. It is prohibited to manufacture plastic products using medical waste as raw materials. The import of waste plastics is completely banned. By the end of this year, the production and sale of disposable foamed plastic tableware and disposable plastic cotton swabs will be prohibited; the production of daily chemical products containing plastic microbeads will be prohibited.

Looking at the consumer side, by the end of this year, shopping malls, supermarkets, pharmacies, bookstores and other places in the built-up areas of municipalities, provincial capitals and cities with independent planning status, as well as catering take-out services and various exhibitions and activities, will be prohibited from using non-degradable plastic bags, and the use of non-degradable plastic bags will be regulated and restricted in the collective markets; the use of non-degradable disposable plastic straws will be prohibited in the catering industry across China; the use of non-degradable disposable plastic tableware will be prohibited in the catering dine-in services in the built-up areas of cities at or above the prefecture level and scenic spots.

In order to implement the "new version of the plastic restriction order", nine departments recently issued the "Notice" and announced the detailed standards for the ban and restriction management.

On the one hand, the policy has maintained continuity and re-emphasized the varieties that have been clearly prohibited by previous policies. For example, ultra-thin plastic shopping bags with a thickness of less than 0.025 mm and agricultural mulch with a thickness of less than 0.01 mm have long been clearly prohibited by relevant national regulations and mandatory standards. Disposable foam plastic tableware has also been included in the "Guidelines for Industrial Structure Adjustment" (2019 Edition) as obsolete products.

On the other hand, the policy has enhanced operability and made specific definitions of the scope of prohibition and restriction for some varieties. For example, it is clarified that "daily chemical products containing plastic microbeads" mainly refer to some shower gels, facial cleansers, scrubs, shampoos and other rinse-off cosmetics and toothpaste and tooth powder, and the size of plastic microbeads is specified. Resident cosmetics that do not meet the prohibition conditions have not yet been included in the scope of prohibition and restriction. Another example is "non-degradable plastic bags", which do not include plastic pre-packaged bags, roll bags, fresh-keeping bags, etc. for bulk fresh food, cooked food, pasta and other commodities; and the prohibited scenes are limited to shopping malls, supermarkets, pharmacies, bookstores, catering take-out services, exhibitions and activities, etc., and other usage scenarios are not covered for the time being.

"The detailed standards fully take into account the actual situation of the industry and the production and supply situation, increase operability, and ensure the steady progress of the policy." Zhang Lijun, vice president of the China General Chamber of Commerce, said.

Set exemption scenarios and provide buffer periods

In the governance of plastic pollution, we must not only enhance the sense of urgency and responsibility, but also take into account practical feasibility and achieve scientific management.

The Notice requires that all localities issue provincial implementation plans before mid-August, break down tasks in detail, and consolidate responsibilities layer by layer; urge provincial capitals, cities with independent planning status, and cities at or above the prefecture level to combine local realities, focus on the phased goals by the end of 2020, analyze and evaluate key and difficult issues in various fields, and study and propose specific, practical and effective promotion measures to ensure that the goals and tasks are completed on schedule.

Fully consider differences, and the Notice does not adopt a "one-size-fits-all" approach. Wen Zongguo, a professor at the School of Environment at Tsinghua University, believes that the Notice fully considers the differences between regions and industries, provides differentiated control routes, conforms to the basic national conditions and the principle of adapting measures to local conditions, and gradually implements comprehensive governance measures.

Take non-degradable plastic bags as an example. By the end of 2020, shopping malls, supermarkets, pharmacies, bookstores and other places in the built-up areas of municipalities, provincial capitals and cities with independent planning status, as well as catering take-out services and various exhibitions will be "prohibited from use", while farmers' markets will be "regulated and restricted in use". By the end of 2022, the scope of implementation of the "ban" will be expanded to all built-up areas of cities at or above the prefecture level and built-up areas of county towns in coastal areas.

Taking feasibility into full consideration, the "Notice" also sets exemption scenarios. For example, disposable plastic cotton swabs do not include related medical devices; during the response to major public emergencies, disposable plastic products used for emergency support, material distribution, catering services, etc. in specific areas can be exempted from restrictions on use. "Exemptions are made for special needs in specific scenarios and major public emergencies to provide a buffer period for the transformation of corporate production methods and consumer consumption habits." Wen Zonggu said.

The Notice specifies five key areas, including strengthening supervision and inspection on the prohibition of production and sale of plastic products, strengthening supervision and management of plastic bans and restrictions in retail and catering, promoting agricultural film management, standardizing the collection and disposal of plastic waste, and carrying out special cleaning of plastic waste, and requires vigorous implementation.

"Varieties with low reuse value or difficult to classify and utilize are the main source of plastic pollution and the key to plastic pollution management. The Notice focuses on varieties with high risks and promotes them." Zhang Deyuan analyzed that non-degradable agricultural mulch with a thickness of less than 0.01 mm will break into pieces after use, making it very difficult to recycle. Long-term accumulation will harm the quality of cultivated land.

Another example is disposable non-degradable plastic knives, forks, spoons, and straws, which are easily mixed with food waste, making it difficult to dispose of and utilize food waste in subsequent resource utilization such as anaerobic fermentation.

Alternative product production capacity can meet consumer demand

Zhang Lijun introduced that retail companies have begun to take positive actions for the "new version of the plastic restriction order" and have formed a number of practical alternatives. Many supermarkets can provide consumers with non-woven environmentally friendly shopping bags, and some bookstores have also achieved good results by using simple kraft paper packages instead of shopping bags. In order to reduce the use of disposable plastic straws, some catering companies have replaced the combination of "straw + cup lid" with a cup lid with a built-in drinking spout by modifying the lid of cold drink cups.

It is estimated that in the retail and catering fields of the relevant regions involved in the phased goals by the end of 2020, the annual consumption of three types of plastic products, namely disposable plastic shopping bags, disposable straws, and disposable knives, forks and spoons, is about 300,000 tons. The raw materials of substitutes such as non-woven fabrics, paper, bamboo and wood are sufficient, and the annual supply of degradable plastics is about 400,000 tons. "The production capacity of alternative products can meet consumer demand." Zhang Lijun said. Recently, relevant industry associations have been actively organizing alternative product manufacturers and catering and retail companies to carry out supply and demand docking to promote plastic reduction and substitution in key areas.

Recyclable packaging, tape-free cartons, slimming tape, fully biodegradable bags... E-commerce and express delivery companies have come up with clever ways to implement the "new version of the plastic restriction order". Zhao Kai, vice president and secretary general of the China Circular Economy Association, said that plastic pollution control has also forced companies to continuously explore new products and new models. Companies are launching green construction from warehousing, packaging, transportation, and terminal distribution.

"With the implementation of relevant detailed requirements, it will surely effectively promote upstream and downstream partners to jointly build a green supply chain." Zhao Kai said.

Plastic pollution control is a systematic project. While doing a good job in reducing the amount at the source, relevant departments and industry associations are simultaneously promoting the ecological design of plastic products, strengthening the recycling and disposal of plastic waste, strengthening comprehensive governance, and promoting the establishment of a long-term mechanism for plastic pollution control.

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