During China’s “Singles Day” shopping spree this year, the express delivery volume reached nearly 4 billion, setting a new record for the e-commerce industry. China’s express delivery business volume this year is expected to exceed 80 billion pieces, an increase of at least 25% over last year. But as more people flock to online shopping for convenience, the resulting packaging waste and pollution have also caused new problems.
“After a brief decline in express delivery volume during the peak period of the epidemic, China’s express delivery industry resumed rapid growth,” said Tang Damin, the commissioner of the East Asia Division of Greenpeace in Beijing. “If the express packaging model does not undergo fundamental changes, the total amount of packaging waste will increase year-on-year. A substantial increase”.
Although Chinese e-commerce companies have been improving their recycling business, experts say that about 20% of China’s total express delivery this year is packaged in plastic bags. Greenpeace reported that in 2018, China’s express delivery industry produced more than 9.4 million tons of packaging materials, equivalent to the weight of 130 million adults, of which plastic accounted for 851,800 tons. Packaging waste usually includes plastic packaging, tape, cartons, etc. About 80% of paper express packaging materials in China can be recycled. However, due to the high cost of recycling plastic packaging waste and low profit margins, 99% of them are not effectively recycled.
This issue has not escaped the attention of industry regulators. The document issued by the National Development and Reform Commission in January puts online shopping and food delivery under supervision for the first time, requiring that by the end of 2020, shopping malls, supermarkets, pharmacies, bookstores, and catering package delivery services and various exhibition activities in municipalities and provincial capitals are prohibited. Degradable plastic bags, and hope to extend the ban to all of China by 2025. So far, more than 20 plastic waste restrictions have been upgraded in all provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions in China.
Before Double 11 this year, Cainiao had set up nearly 80,000 recycling stations across the country to encourage consumers to recycle packaging waste. JD.com said that during the shopping festival, it has helped to reduce 100,000 tons of express waste by putting in recycling packaging. Even if China’s express delivery and e-commerce companies increase recycling efforts, some environmentalists still question whether these efforts can offset the surge in online shopping packaging.
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