(Yicai Global) Feb. 22 -- China has amended rules on the type of packaging materials courier's can use after packaging waste became a new environmental issue due to the country's booming e-commerce sector.

Express delivery firms should use biodegradable plastic wherever possible to minimize 'white pollution,' or waste which comes from day-to-day plastics such as polystyrene and polyvinyl chloride, according to new standards set by the Standardization Administration and the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.

China brought in national standards for packaging materials in 2009, but they lacked provisions for environmental protection. Since then the country has become the world's largest online retail market. As internet shopping becomes ever-more popular, the nation's couriers are dispatching increasing numbers of parcels that result in mountains of packaging waste. Express delivery volume rose almost 30 percent last year, state news agency Xinhua reported on Feb. 10.

The authorities have altered requirements concerning the amount of envelope paper, bubble wrap and plastic bags used by couriers, and no longer mandate the use of corrugated cardboard boxes. Packaging will still need to conform to bursting strength and puncture resistance standards.
Online sales leapt more than 30 percent to nearly CNY7.2 trillion (USD1.1 trillion) last year, commerce ministry data shows.