Nine departments, including Chongqing Development and Reform Commission and Chongqing Municipal Postal Administration, jointly released the Opinions of Chongqing on Accelerating Transition to Green Packaging to further intensify the governance of express packaging and advance the transition to green packaging.

Last December, central government organs including the National Development and Reform Commission and the State Post Bureau published a guideline to promote green packaging. It introduced measures such as offering incentives to businesses and setting unified standards for green packaging to ensure compliance among industry participants.

Workers sort packages at a courier company in Zhengzhou, Central China's Henan province, Jan 21, 2021. (Photo/ Xinhua)

Green packaging makes headway

According to the Opinions, by 2022, Chongqing will form an incentive and restrictive mechanism on express packaging governance, and the e-commerce and express delivery sectors will receive standardized administration.

This is to achieve a result that 85% of e-commerce parcels will not be repackaged, and the number of recyclable parcel packages will reach 70,000, where packaging in the express delivery industry will be more environmentally friendly and recyclable.

By 2025, Chongqing is expected to establish a long-acting mechanism covering the whole industrial chain, including the production, utilization, recycling, and disposing of packaging and wipe out secondary packaging in almost all e-commerce parcels. This will give rise to a reaching number of 100,000 recyclable parcel packages.

The new development model featuring reduction in packaging materials and green packaging will make headway, and the transition to green express packaging is scheduled to be completed.

A courier displays a biodegradable packaging bag in Haikou, Hainan province, in June. (Photo/ China Daily)

An enhanced governance system 

The Opinions listed seven measures, including improving the laws, regulations, and standards of express packaging, intensifying green governance of express packaging, enhancing standardized management of e-commerce and express delivery services, advancing application of recyclable parcel packages, standardizing recycling, and disposing of express packaging waste, perfecting supporting and guarantee systems, and stepping up efforts to carry out relevant policies.

With such efforts, Chongqing will further clarify the responsibilities of enterprises, strengthen the supervision and administration by governments, and provide more policy-based guidance to speed up the forming of a coordinated governance system and boost the transition to a high-quality development of green packaging.

Chongqing will intensify the governance of express packaging and advance the transition to green packaging. (iChongqing/ Vivian Yan)