Ele.me Releases Industry-First Takeout Packaging Environmental Report with China Packaging Federation and Tsinghua, Launching Green Design Guide and Scoring Table

On July 21, Ele.me formally launched a research report titled 'Takeout and Takeaway Food Packaging: 2021 Green Behavior Research Report'. It was co-developed by Ele.me, the China Packaging Federation and the School of Environment at Tsinghua University, and is described as the takeout packaging sector's first environmental report. The document offers sustainable packaging design guidance and a scoring table, giving food delivery merchants and consumers a clearer basis for choices.

Ele.me's work on cutting plastic in delivery packaging has been ongoing. On July 14, the company and the China Packaging Federation co-hosted the 2021 China Packaging Brand Innovation Summit and Internet Platform Packaging Sustainable Development Forum. The event centered on sustainable packaging for internet platforms and covered catering, express delivery and e-commerce. Participants included internet platforms, catering brands, academic institutions and packaging companies, who exchanged environmental solutions and shared research results around green development.

As one output of that forum, the report gathered extensive data across four areas: merchants, riders, consumers and supply-chain coordination. It systematically maps the current use of takeout and takeaway food packaging, what influences merchants' packaging purchases, the impact of reduction and replacement measures, delivery conditions, and how riders and consumers understand recycling, among other industry concerns.

Findings show that policy direction and platform initiatives together have produced clear source-reduction results at the merchant level, with higher shares of alternative materials and orders marked 'no cutlery needed'. The report also notes that as degradable plastic bags become much more common, the sector must address their cost and performance and set up a dedicated recycling and disposal mechanism.

According to the report, differences in packaging material, color and specification raise downstream sorting costs and hold back recycling rates. It calls for standardizing green packaging design and for stronger communication and cooperation among supply-chain players to improve the recycling system.

Drawing on feedback from real-world practice and international sustainable packaging concepts, the report released sustainable packaging design guidelines and a scoring table for the first time. These are intended both to show producers and merchants how to improve green packaging and to give consumers an easy guide for choosing greener packaging.

This article is reposted from China Packaging Network (pack.cn). Original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-378224.html