(Yicai) March 28 -- China should establish a set of policies at the national level for the sustainable development of plastic packaging, to effectively address the many issues caused by plastic bottles, cartons and other forms of packaging, according to a report recently released by an industry body and a government think tank.

China should set up a sustainable development blueprint for plastic packaging, including green alternatives for raw materials, ecological design, source reduction, process supervision, recycling and safe disposal, according to the report, which was prepared by the China Packaging Federation and the National Development and Reform Commission’s Institute of Macroeconomy Research.

Plastic plays an important role in the packaging industry and is one of the four main packaging materials alongside metal, paper and glass, according to the “Research Report on the Sustainable Development of China’s Plastic Packaging.” China produces about 45 million tons of plastic for packaging each year, with most of this, at 43 percent, being used in the catering sector.

However, the widespread use of plastic packaging has led to serious environmental problems, said the report. Soft plastic packaging, in particular, is difficult to recycle, has low economic value and is highly likely to leak into the environment, making it a major challenge in global plastic pollution control.

In order to tackle the issue of plastic pollution, China has already started to build a system of regulations, policies and standards for the sustainable development of plastic packaging. The recycling rate of plastic packaging is increasing year by year, and recycled plastics are widely used in many fields such as construction, agriculture and daily chemicals.

The sustainable development of plastic packaging requires continuous improvements to the governance system, including stronger legal constraints, policy incentives and clearly defined responsibilities of the government, plastic producers, packaging firms, commodity manufacturers, e-commerce platforms, food takeaway platforms, courier companies, retailers and consumers, said Zhang Deyuan, director of the Recycled Economy Research Office at the Institute of Macro-Economy.

The government should promote the use of recycled plastics, encourage recyclable designs, and improve the carbon footprint accounting standards for plastic packaging and the green packaging certification system, the report said. Local governments should also strengthen the management of single-use plastic products, optimize the waste classification system, and create conditions for the sorting and recycling of low-value recyclables.

Editor: Kim Taylor