China Packaging Regulations Explained: Over-Packaging Limits, Labeling Rules and Penalties

China's packaging rulebook rests on four main threads: restricting excessive packaging, regulating labels and markings, metrology management and green transformation requirements. The provisions that apply differ by product and by scenario, yet the compliance floor is the same everywhere: label accurately, avoid over-packaging and meet mandatory standards.

Which packaging types are most likely to trip the rules

Food and cosmetics remain the top enforcement priority. Under the new national standard, 31 food categories and 16 cosmetics categories face explicit ceilings on packaging void ratio, packaging layers and packaging cost, and products that do not measure up may not be produced, sold or imported. Express packaging is equally bound by mandatory national standards, among them the Requirements for Limiting Excessive Express Packaging (GB 45186-2024) and the Limits of Heavy Metals and Certain Substances in Express Packaging (GB 43352-2023), which require courier companies to refine packaging methods and economize on packaging materials. Quantitatively packaged goods such as bagged rice and flour or bottled beverages must declare their quantitative net content truthfully, and any gap between the declared figure and the actual content may not exceed the permitted shortfall.

What must appear clearly on the packaging

A product package has to carry a certificate of product quality inspection and state the product name, the manufacturer name and the manufacturer address in Chinese. For products with a limited period of use, such as food and cosmetics, the production date plus the safe-use period or expiry date must be shown clearly in a prominent position. A net content declaration is made up of three parts, namely the Chinese characters for net content, the figure and the legal unit of measurement, and the character height must satisfy the rules as well. Special goods such as hazardous chemicals and pharmaceuticals carry extra packaging material and marking obligations, and must be manufactured by designated producers and pass testing.

What happens when the rules are broken

Where net content is marked incorrectly, market regulation authorities order a correction; where it is missing entirely, the business must fix the problem within a set deadline and pay a fine of up to RMB 30,000. Violations of the mandatory over-packaging standards are investigated and handled in accordance with the law, and the goods concerned may not be produced, sold or imported. Falsifying inspection data can attract a fine of up to RMB 100,000. Using the distinctive packaging of a well-known product without authorization in a way that creates confusion breaches the Anti-Unfair Competition Law and brings legal liability with it.

Source: China Packaging Network (pack.cn); original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-379840.html