Recycling Marks and Terminology Take Center Stage as Two Packaging National Standards Support Green, Sustainable Development

News source: International Packaging Information Network.

Ecological civilization construction is an essential requirement for accelerating the transformation of the economic development model and achieving green development. In recent years, China has introduced a series of major measures to advance green development. With greening, reduction, and recyclability as the guiding principles, establishing and improving the standards system, raising the quality of standards across industries, and strengthening standard implementation and innovative services have become key tasks in sustainable development practice.

To promote standardization for packaging and the environment and green packaging, and to further support the building of China's circular economy system and the national “dual carbon” strategic goals, the Packaging and Environment Subcommittee of the National Technical Committee for Packaging Standardization (SAC/TC49/SC10) proposed revisions to two national standards: Packaging Recycling Marks and Packaging - Packaging and the Environment - Terminology. The China Export Commodities Packaging Research Institute led the drafting. It is the technical counterpart of ISO/TC122/SC4 and also serves as the secretariat of the Packaging and Environment Subcommittee of the domestic Technical Committee for Packaging Standardization. Over the years, it has focused on research into resource conservation and green, low-carbon development, completed dozens of research projects commissioned by relevant competent departments such as the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Finance, and the General Logistics Department of the People's Liberation Army, and formulated a number of national standards adapted to current ecological and environmental development.

The two revised national standards have broad applicability and strong practicality. They have attracted extensive industry attention and received full attention from competent departments. At present, they have been issued by the State Administration for Market Regulation (Standardization Administration) as key standards in the green and sustainable field.

Packaging Recycling Marks addresses the production, use, and recycling needs of commonly used packaging materials such as paper, plastic, metal, glass, and composites. Taking into account the characteristics of different materials, it specifies the types, basic graphics, and labeling requirements for recycling marks. It will advance China's standardization work on packaging and the environment and green packaging, support the implementation of waste sorting, accelerate the formation of green, low-carbon production and lifestyles, and promote green, low-carbon development.

Packaging - Packaging and the Environment - Terminology provides relevant important terms and definitions. It makes them easier for supply chain parties to understand and apply, supports the effective conduct of packaging production, recycling, and treatment, and is of great significance to the building of China's packaging waste sorting and disposal system.

The two standards will be implemented as scheduled. Once implemented, they are expected to play an important role in helping the packaging industry contribute to China's ecological civilization construction and green development.

The two national standards—Packaging Recycling Marks and Packaging - Packaging and the Environment - Terminology—were proposed and administered by the National Technical Committee for Packaging Standardization and jointly drafted by the China Export Commodities Packaging Research Institute together with relevant key enterprises and units in the industry. They were approved and issued and will be officially implemented as scheduled.

Packaging Recycling Marks focuses on the production, use, and recycling needs of commonly used packaging materials such as paper, plastic, metal, glass, and composites. Taking full account of the different characteristics of each material and drawing fully on relevant domestic and foreign regulations and standards, it specifies the types, basic graphics, and labeling requirements for packaging recycling marks. In particular, based on market research and enterprise needs, it adds recycling marks for glass packaging and composite material packaging. At the same time, to standardize mark design and production and achieve consistent use, it sets out detailed provisions on the size, position, color, and labeling methods of the marks.

The issuance and implementation of this standard will advance China's standardization work on packaging and the environment and green packaging, and support the implementation of waste sorting. At the same time, for the issue of excessive packaging of goods, which currently attracts considerable public attention, it provides technical support from the design level to the recycling level, guiding producers to conserve resources from the source, guiding consumers to sort waste better, accelerating the formation of green, low-carbon production and lifestyles, and promoting green, low-carbon development.

Packaging - Packaging and the Environment - Terminology defines relevant terms and definitions in the field of packaging and the environment. During formulation, full consideration was given to the current state of China's technical conditions and the development needs of the industry. On the basis of converting the relevant standard, additional terms and definitions were added. It maintains the advanced nature of the technical content while, on the basis of scientific rigor and reasonableness, remaining coordinated with China's current relevant laws, regulations, and existing standards. It is highly normative, feasible, universally applicable, and operable.

This standard lays the foundation for the formulation and implementation of other relevant standards and regulations in the field of packaging and the environment. It facilitates public administration, technical exchange, and commercial operations among all relevant personnel across the complete chain of packaging and the treatment and utilization of packaging waste. It is of great significance to the building of China's packaging waste sorting and disposal system and can thereby effectively help advance the building of China's circular economy system and the realization of the national “dual carbon” strategic goals.

This article is reprinted from China Packaging Network (pack.cn). Original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-379054.html