China's Overpackaging Rules Still Lack Mandatory Material Standards, Mono-Material Design Gains Support

Tea is now placed in acrylic or even crystal bottles, while a 750 ml bottle of red wine can be presented in a wooden box weighing around 2 jin. Experts say that although existing rules on excessive commodity packaging limit packaging layers and void ratio, they do not impose mandatory requirements on packaging materials, and they suggest that upcoming regulations address this gap.

Packaging material “excess” remains without hard limits

As the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, mooncake gift boxes and health products will become key sellers in shopping malls and supermarkets, putting gift-box overpackaging back in the spotlight.

At a forum against excessive packaging hosted by Sohu Green, the Food Packaging Association and other organizations, Li Minggang, director of the First Division of the Legal Affairs Department at the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, said packaging material, structure and cost can all lead to overpackaging. In March this year, the state approved and issued the Requirements for Restricting Excessive Packaging of Commodities — Foods and Cosmetics, setting a mandatory void ratio of 60%, no more than three packaging layers, and a cost cap of 20%. Li stressed that material is also an indicator of excessive packaging, but the current regulation does not make it mandatory.

Surveys in supermarkets and shopping malls found that products with more than three packaging layers are relatively uncommon. The earlier problem of excessive void ratios in gifts such as mooncakes and health products has eased somewhat, yet the materials used for packaging boxes are becoming increasingly complex and varied.

Dong Jinshi, secretary-general of the Food Packaging Association, said packaging materials on the market involve seven or eight types, including metal, glass and silk, and some are used in combination. This complicates recovery and reuse because different materials require different processing methods. He suggested that the forthcoming Regulations on Restricting Excessive Packaging of Commodities should specify material categories and that packaging should preferably use a single material or materials that are easy to separate.

Nine in ten consumers accept simple packaging

A random survey by the Food Packaging Association showed that 91% of respondents accept simple packaging where packaging cost accounts for within 10% of total sales, while only 9% accept relatively exquisite packaging with costs within 20%. For excessive packaging costing more than 20%, no one is willing to actually pay. This indicates that even when giving gifts, most people prefer to spend on real value rather than packaging.

Overpackaging is not limited to gifts; medicines and cosmetics also show the problem. Some consumers report that a box of medicine from a pharmacy is usually beautifully packaged, with an outer paper box and an inner

packaging layer, followed only then by a foil blister pack of 8 tablets. The pack may sell for 20 yuan, but little of that goes to the medicine itself. For a 25 ml eye cream, the outer packaging may look like more than 200 ml. Relevant data show that gift box packaging alone costs more than 2 billion yuan each Mid-Autumn Festival.

On packaging recovery, 37% said that if shopping malls and supermarkets set up recycling facilities, they would cooperate with merchants and bring packaging back to the mall, while another 37% said they would consider cooperating with such merchant recovery methods.

Poor design also drives packaging waste

Yu Duyuan, deputy general manager of the Technology Center at China National Packaging Corporation, who attended the forum, pointed out that if the structural design of outer packaging is unreasonable, a box that could hold eight items may hold only four, which can unintentionally create overpackaging.

China Resources Vanguard will work with suppliers to curb excessive packaging of commodities.

Last year, retail giant Walmart also worked with suppliers to reduce unnecessary waste from excessive packaging void space, including transport costs, storage costs and packaging materials.

Ordinary commodities should face limits on excessive packaging to avoid waste, but special high-value goods such as rings, ginseng and handicrafts may need different treatment. Experts at the forum believe some products may need excessive packaging to reflect their value; appropriate overpackaging for special goods may be a necessity driven by “face” or the product itself.

——This article is reprinted from China Packaging Network (pack.cn), original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-362205.html