Phase One Solutions Focus on Six Categories: A Clearer Upgrade Path for Green Food Delivery Packaging

Driven by economic and social progress, shifting consumer attitudes and policy incentives, food delivery packaging has been moving toward greater variety, customization and environmental responsibility. The Phase One edition of “Green Packaging Solutions for Food Delivery” (the “Solutions”) has now been issued, marking interim progress toward the goal of “offering recyclable, degradable or reusable packaging options to all merchants.” It also sets out upgrade guidance for six food categories: cakes, chilled desserts, coffee, light meals, dumplings and congee.

The Food Delivery Green Packaging Application Working Group gathered opinions from 1,678 merchants and 524 consumers via an online questionnaire. According to the responses, “strong packaging performance” and “green, eco-friendly design” ranked as the two dimensions consumers valued most. In delivery settings, packaging quality is a key part of the dining experience and can influence whether customers order again.

The survey also found that more than half of consumers say packaging problems can undermine the dining experience, while 88% would repurchase from merchants that provide a good delivery packaging experience. Food delivery user Xiaobei described one order from a well-known restaurant brand: by the time it arrived, half of the soup had spilled, creating a mess and ruining the meal. He felt that neither leaving a bad review for the rider nor seeking compensation from the restaurant was a fair fix, and that packaging needed a better answer.

Spills, damage and poor heat retention remain persistent pain points in delivery packaging. Some merchants rely on cling film or staples, yet the result can be thick layers of film that are hard to open and staples on bags that scratch customers. Industry observers say that better consumer experiences and fewer merchant headaches require practical green packaging solutions.

Why is category-specific guidance necessary? The Solutions notes that each dish category has its own characteristics and therefore different packaging priorities. Congee, for example, is best eaten at a higher temperature, so heat resistance and insulation matter more; soup-containing dishes place greater emphasis on sealing. Category-based green packaging guidance helps merchants identify solutions that fit their real application needs.

Does green packaging cost more? The Solutions argues that the right packaging is the best packaging. A green packaging solution must be judged not only by its environmental profile but also by four dimensions — performance, appearance, price and sustainability — and merchants can balance these according to their own needs.

The Solutions also suggests that environmental progress is not out of reach. When merchants are willing to advance green practices, building know-how and using green packaging in a science-based way do not always demand heavy spending. For instance, replacing black plastic polypropylene containers with same-type containers in natural color or transparent form can make packaging easier to recycle and regenerate.

Wang Qi, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and chairman of the Expert Committee of the Food Delivery Green Packaging Application Working Group, said the delivery sector’s sustainable future depends on embedding green development across the whole chain — from design, synthesis, processing and application to waste disposal. He encouraged the working group to draw on successful projects, broaden its approach and coordinate resources from multiple parties, recommend environmentally friendly green delivery packaging solutions to foodservice merchants, support a green supply chain for delivery, and advance the green, low-carbon development of China’s packaging industry.

Wang Li, vice president of the China Packaging Federation and deputy chairman of the Expert Committee of the Food Delivery Green Packaging Application Working Group, said the sector must be viewed through an end-to-end industry-chain lens, with source reduction as the fundamental goal. The Solutions keeps exploring carbon-reduction pathways for delivery packaging, studies sub-sectors and application scenarios, and seeks new delivery packaging solutions across the full life cycle and entire value chain to drive sustainable development.

Zhang Lijun, vice president of the China General Chamber of Commerce, believes that greener delivery packaging has become a central issue in the food delivery industry’s green transition and is critical to the wider catering sector. She hopes catering companies will take a deep role in researching green delivery packaging solutions, integrate green packaging with the realities of foodservice, and make it more suitable for diverse dishes and scenarios. As businesses put the solutions into practice and communication is strengthened, more consumers can engage with the sector’s green development and green consumption, helping build a green delivery supply chain and laying a foundation for China’s food delivery industry to shift toward greener growth.

Weng Yunxuan, secretary-general of the Degradable Plastics Professional Committee of the China Plastics Processing Industry Association, said that whatever direction materials take in the future, each has strengths and limitations. For food delivery products, packaging material selection should weigh the contents’ characteristics, intended users, transport conditions, cost and waste disposal methods, so that different product types can be chosen and materials used to their best advantage.

Han Xueshan, vice president and executive secretary-general of the China Packaging Federation, said focused research on delivery packaging solutions is essential. Two areas deserve priority: environmental protection, through packaging that is reduced, degradable and easy to recycle; and performance, through solutions that safeguard delivery quality while meeting basic environmental requirements.

Source: China Packaging Network (pack.cn); original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-379354.html