Smooth green circulation of express packaging
With the arrival of the year-end consumption peak season, the postal express industry has also ushered in the peak season for business. According to data from the State Post Bureau, in November, China's average daily express collection business volume exceeded 500 million pieces. A large number of express deliveries have generated a lot of packaging. Where do these packaging materials go? Has the concept of recycling been popularized? Let's take a look at the report.
At an express delivery station in Chaoyang District, Beijing, reporters saw that the shelves were full of express parcels of all sizes. After many recipients unpacked the packages at the station, they would put the packaging materials into the green recycling bin in front of them. The staff is responsible for sorting and recycling these materials. Intact packaging materials such as cartons can be used in the next delivery, and those that cannot be used will be handed over to the recycling company for reprocessing and recycling.
The person in charge of the station calculated for the reporter that each carton recycled once can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 37 grams. Since the peak season for express delivery business, the station has reduced carbon emissions by an average of about 5.5 kilograms per day.
As an important part of green governance in the express delivery industry, has the concept of packaging recycling become popular? With these questions, the reporter conducted research in several communities in Beijing.
Mr. Lu, a citizen:If I encounter express packaging of good quality, I will keep it and use it next time I send express.
Mr. Bai, a citizen:I usually put (the packaging) in the recycling bin after picking up the express, for the sake of environmental protection.
During the interview, the reporter learned that most citizens are willing to participate in the recycling of express packaging. However, due to the lack of recycling facilities and limited recycling channels, many people put the packaging in the community trash can for convenience and wait for sanitation workers to deal with it. Broadening recycling channels and enriching recycling methods are still important means to enhance the green management capabilities of express packaging.
The pilot project for the large-scale application of recyclable express packaging continues to advance
In fact, since 2021, the State Post Bureau has jointly launched a pilot project for the large-scale application of recyclable express packaging with the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Commerce and other departments. Initial results have been achieved in enriching the application scenarios of government affairs, 3C, and fresh food, expanding recycling methods such as door-to-door recycling and post station recycling, and updating product materials and technical models.
In front of the postal express delivery point on the campus of Bohai University in Jinzhou, Liaoning Province, the green recycling box that has just been put into use is an intelligent recycling device for corrugated boxes jointly developed by Liaoning Post and Jinzhou Bohai University. In addition to cartons, it can also recycle books and plastic bottles.
Tian Yufeng, a staff member of the Jinzhou Branch of Liaoning Provincial Post Office:Take out those that can be reused for secondary reuse, and throw those that cannot be reused into it. Basically, after three or four days, the hydraulic machine on it will automatically compress it. After compression, we will take it to the recycling agency.
In the warehouse of the e-commerce platform, the reporter saw the intelligent packaging technology on the product packaging line. When the target gun scans the product, the background system will automatically calculate the appropriate model of packaging box that meets the volume of the product, and reduce the use of packaging materials by optimizing the packaging structure.
In addition to e-commerce platforms, express delivery companies are also participating in the research and development and promotion of packaging products that are easy to recycle and regenerate at the end. At a courier outlet in Shanghai, the reporter saw a special waste plastic recycling point. The courier outlets will recycle and sort out the waste plastic packaging removed by customers and send it to fixed recycling and regeneration enterprises. According to technical requirements, the newly produced packaging contains 30% recycled plastics and will be returned to the courier companies for use, forming a large-scale application model for recycled closed-loop packaging.
Zhao Guojun, director of the Postal Development Research Center of Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications:Green packaging and recycling and other green measures are carried out in parallel. While reducing costs, increasing efficiency and reducing emissions, more importantly, the industry's ability to serve the high-level development of the economy will be further enhanced.
The green governance of express packaging still requires joint efforts from all parties
Although the national postal industry regulatory authorities, express companies, e-commerce platforms, etc. are all conducting research and development and promoting the governance of packaging, the packaging problems caused by hundreds of millions of parcels every day are also issues that the industry must face and urgently need to solve. Where are the "blocking points" in the green governance of express packaging? How to better improve the level of recycling? Continue to look at the reporter's investigation.
Experts told reporters that at present, the awareness of low-carbon green development in China's express delivery industry is gradually increasing, and the green governance of express packaging has achieved initial results. However, compared with the requirements of high-quality development, there are still deficiencies in terms of systematicity, coordination and effectiveness.
Zhao Guojun, director of the Postal Development Research Center of Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications: First, the cost of green packaging is too high. For example, the procurement cost of recyclable packaging boxes is higher than that of cartons of the same specifications. Coupled with the operating and management costs such as recycling, cleaning, loss, and allocation, the burden on enterprises is bound to increase. At the same time, another aspect is that the chain of upstream and downstream collaboration between packaging production, e-commerce platforms, and express delivery companies has not yet been established.
In order to enhance the green governance capabilities of express packaging, at the beginning of this year, the State Post Bureau implemented the "9218" project for green development, clearly stating that by the end of the year, the proportion of e-commerce express parcels that will no longer be repackaged will reach 90%, and the two governances of excessive packaging and plastic pollution will be further promoted. The number of mail and express parcels using recyclable express packaging will reach 1 billion, and 800 million corrugated boxes with good quality will be recycled and reused. In this regard, experts said that it still requires joint efforts from all parties to promote the green and circular development of express packaging.
Zhao Guojun, Director of the Postal Development Research Center of Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications: Overall, joint efforts are needed from the government, enterprises, and the public. The government should increase the scope and intensity of sampling and testing of express packaging, and continuously strengthen the source control of express packaging. Enterprises should adhere to the concept of green development and promote the reduction of materials such as packaging tapes and corrugated boxes. The public should establish a green and environmentally friendly concept and actively use green express packaging.