China Unveils Mandatory National Standard to Curb Food and Cosmetics Overpackaging, Boost Green Consumption

Packaging does more than contain products: it protects goods, improves presentation, influences purchasing decisions and can add value. Food and cosmetics are part of everyday life, yet some companies still use packaging that is wasteful and not environmentally friendly—too many layers, excessive empty space, and costs that go beyond what packaging should reasonably do.

To tackle overpackaging in food and cosmetics, China's State Administration for Market Regulation (Standardization Administration), together with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and other departments, enlisted relevant standardization technical committees and technical bodies to revise the 2009 standard. They issued a new mandatory national standard, 'Requirements for Restricting Excessive Packaging of Commodities—Food and Cosmetics' (the new standard).

A new standard for commodity packaging

The new standard covers packaging void ratio, packaging layers and packaging cost, and it provides calculation, testing and determination methods. It also makes enforcement easier to understand: a consumer can check the product's own weight or volume, measure the outer packaging volume and run a simple calculation to make an initial judgment on overpackaging. On layers, the limits are strict: grain and its processed products may have no more than three layers, while other foods and cosmetics may have no more than four.

Wei Hong, deputy director of the Standards Technology Department at the State Administration for Market Regulation, explained a simple approach consumers can use: 'one look, two questions, three calculations.' The 'look' checks whether the outer pack is luxury-style and uses expensive materials. The 'questions' clarify, without opening the pack, how many layers are used and whether grain/processed products exceed three layers or other food/cosmetics exceed four. The 'calculations' compare measured or estimated outer pack volume with the maximum permitted outer volume. If any one of these checks fails, the product can be preliminarily deemed non-compliant.

The new standard also states that the volume of food or cosmetic contents is calculated by net content multiplied by a necessary space coefficient, which varies by product. For liquor, the necessary space coefficient is 13; a 500 ml bottle of baijiu is allowed a packaging void ratio of no more than 30%, meaning its outer packaging may not exceed 9,285.7 cubic centimetres. If that bottle's outer pack measures 20 cm by 15 cm by 30 cm, its actual volume is 9,000 cubic centimetres—below the maximum, so it complies.

Wu Daiqi, CEO of Shenzhen Siqisheng Culture Communication Co., Ltd., told China Industry and Economy News that overpackaging has grown partly because ordinary products have moved into the gift market. For gift buyers, refined packaging appears more impressive and presentable; because they buy rather than use the item, they often do not know the product size inside. For sellers, refined, larger packaging can raise added value, making premium packaging a must for high-end gifts. Over time, competition has pushed companies to invest more in packaging than in the product itself, leading to overpackaging.

'The release of the new standard details packaging layers, packaging void ratio and product space coefficients,' Wu Daiqi told reporters. 'For companies, compliance is clear; for consumer complaints and enforcement, the basis is also sufficient and specific, which can better adjust the consumer market and promote green consumption.'

Companies get a two-year transition period

Over the long term, excessive packaging not only costs money but also affects the environment.

Research cited indicates that packaging waste accounts for about 30% to 40% of urban domestic waste in China, with a large share coming from overpackaging. Excessive packaging therefore wastes resources and energy, increases consumer costs, and generates packaging waste that pollutes the environment.

The new standard reinforces packaging requirements with a clear aim: reduce resource consumption and packaging waste at the source, while easing the burden on consumers.

The reporter noted that the new standard is set to be officially implemented on September 1, 2023, with a two-year transition period for companies and the market.

Chen Hongjun, deputy director of the Standards Technology Department at SAMR, said food and cosmetics producers will need to redesign packaging for compliance and also consume inventory packaging and goods awaiting sale. Cosmetics have long shelf lives and relatively long circulation and consumption cycles. To avoid disrupting production and business operations and creating new waste, a two-year implementation transition was set after widely soliciting views from industrial departments, industry associations and enterprises. During this period, companies should complete compliant packaging designs and put them into production and use as soon as possible, while accelerating the consumption of inventory packaging and products already on the market, ensuring products made and sold after the standard takes effect meet the new standard.

After the two-year transition, food and cosmetics that do not meet the new standard will no longer be allowed to be produced or sold in the market. Companies are urged to correct non-compliance within the transition period, and consumers are urged to avoid overpackaged products as much as possible, practising green, low-carbon consumption through their own choices.

Implementation requires joint efforts

Wei Hong outlined three priorities. First, enterprises must fulfill their primary responsibility. As the main actors in standard implementation, food and cosmetics companies should follow the Standardization Law and the Law on the Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution by Solid Waste, raise awareness, act proactively, meet corporate social responsibility, and adopt and comply with the standard early. This will help supply higher-quality, greener and lower-carbon products.

Second, promotion and implementation of the standard must be strengthened. Market regulation departments will publicize the new standard through one-diagram explainers, interpretations, public disclosure and online cloud classrooms, among other channels. They will also work with relevant departments to organize training and build technical capacity for law- and standard-based supervision.

Third, consumers should be guided toward green consumption. Stronger publicity can create a green consumption environment, encouraging consumers to adopt green habits, value frugality, reduce waste, actively choose green, environmentally friendly and low-carbon products, and avoid buying or using overpackaged goods.

Wu Daiqi added that advancing green consumption also requires stronger supervision by competent departments, especially for companies whose main sales period is holiday gift-giving. Meetings can be held to communicate the new standard, and association council members can be encouraged to take the lead in strict implementation. Beyond compliance, companies should direct R&D to the product itself—developing new flavors and selling points to grow sales—rather than focusing only on packaging. Consumers, meanwhile, should rationally view the relationship between product value and packaging and not buy expensive, overpackaged products for face. Only when vanity-driven demand decreases can green consumption move forward.

Bai Wenxi, vice chairman of the China Enterprise Capital Alliance, told China Industry and Economy News that the new standard's packaging-to-product volume ratio will effectively curb overpackaging. However, overpackaging still has a market foundation as a gift, so the social basis can only be fundamentally changed—and the standard truly implemented—by addressing consumer culture and social psychology.

'To advance green consumption, authorities, market players and consumers should all promote a green consumption culture from the perspective of practical and green consumption awareness,' Bai Wenxi said. 'With specific rule design and effective enforcement, the overpackaging problem can be fundamentally changed.'

——This article is reprinted from China Packaging Network (pack.cn). Original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-378402.html