Recently, the "Research Report on Sustainable Development of Plastic Packaging in China" (hereinafter referred to as the report) was jointly released by the China Packaging Federation and the Macro Economic Research Institute of the National Development and Reform Commission. The report shows that promoting the sustainable development of plastic packaging and comprehensively constructing a circular economy model based on the principles of "reduction, reuse, and recycling" is beneficial for forming a circular economy system for plastic packaging. This is of significant importance for addressing climate change and plastic pollution, as well as protecting biodiversity, and is a key solution to the issue of plastic pollution.

Data shows that the total amount of plastic used for packaging production in our country is about 45 million tons annually. Among this, plastic packaging in the food sector accounts for 43%, disposable shopping bags, vest bags, garbage bags, and soft packaging account for 11%, express packaging accounts for 9%, garment packaging accounts for 8%, beauty and daily chemical sectors account for 6%, and other fields account for 23%.

"These plastic packages, especially flexible plastic packaging, are widely recognized as the most challenging and painful aspect of plastic pollution control due to their extensive and scattered application, difficulty in recycling and disposal, low economic value, and high likelihood of leaking into the environment. In recent years, with the rapid development of emerging sectors such as food delivery and express delivery, plastic packaging has become a focal point of societal concern," said Han Xueshan, Vice President of the China Packaging Federation.

The report指出 that in 2023, the global production of plastic is approximately 414 million tons, and it is expected to double by 2050. Among this, two-thirds of the plastic will become waste after a short period of use, and about 42% of the plastic raw materials are used to produce plastic packaging.

The report also points out the paths for the sustainable development of plastic packaging in our country: comprehensively promoting ecological design in the design phase, fully implementing green supply chain management in the production phase, strengthening the reduction and reuse of plastic packaging in the usage phase, promoting high-value recycling in the recycling phase, and avoiding leakage and ensuring safe disposal in the disposal phase.

"Promoting the development of a plastic circular economy and deeply advancing the sustainable development of plastic packaging is the foundation for achieving harmonious coexistence between humans and plastics. In the future, I believe that with strong government support, continuous exploration by industry players, and extensive participation from relevant social organizations and consumers, China's sustainable development of plastic packaging will become increasingly mature, leading and driving the plastic packaging industry toward high-quality development," Zhang Deyuan stated.