China's "green packaging" concept is in danger of being abused

Some irresponsible people and some people who do not know how to read and understand put the products they developed into the name of “green packaging” and deceive the world. In particular, some paper packaging factories have described the products they develop as "green packaging," and ordinary consumers are often misled into thinking that all paper packaging is environmentally friendly and that paper is also the most environmentally friendly packaging material.
As we all know, "green packaging" refers to environmentally friendly packaging products. Not only must the manufacturing process be environmentally friendly, but also waste can be easily recycled, recycled, or reused.
Although the concept of "green packaging" has not been proposed for a long time, it does not mean that packaging products developed after the concept of green packaging are environmentally friendly. Many traditional packaging products are themselves environmentally friendly packaging such as glass and metal packaging.
Sorting is the most critical part of the packaging waste disposal process, and it is also the most difficult and costly process. Sorting is the basis of all subsequent processing. Metal and glass packaging are uniquely conditioned.
Magnetic separation, winnowing and water separation are the most commonly used sorting methods. They are distinguished by the magnetic properties or specific gravity of different materials. Glass and metal are the two largest proportions of all packaging materials and it is easy to distinguish them from other packaging materials. In particular, steel materials, due to their magnetic properties, are not only easily sorted out from various packages, but are also easy to automate. The investment in sorting lines is also very small.
China's development of green packaging cannot but consider the cost of recycling. The high sorting costs may make good expectations come to naught. Therefore, giving priority to the development of packaging products that are easy to sort and handle should be one of the development strategies of China's green packaging.
In fact, the developed countries have also made the development of green packaging difficult. For example, in the European “Packaging Guide”, the glass and metal require a higher recovery rate than plastic and paper, which is mainly due to the difficulty of sorting.
In the actual operation, metal and glass packaging waste is also the highest recovery rate. According to the materials, in 2002, the recovery rate of European steel packaging products was 60%, ranking first among all materials. Glass packaging was followed by 57%, paper packaging was 52%, and plastic was only 15%. According to the statistics of the European Metal Packaging Manufacturers Association, the recycling rate of steel packaging in Belgium in 2002 was 93%, and the recovery rates in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, and Luxembourg were between 70% and 80%. In countries outside of Europe, the recovery rate of steel packaging in Japan in 2002 was 86%, 63% in South Africa, 53% in the United States, 47% in South Korea, and 43% in Australia.
The recycling rate of packaging waste of different materials not only shows the difficulty of recycling and sorting of different materials, but also shows the degree of environmental protection. Taking into account the actual use of different materials, it can be seen that the environmental pollution of metal and glass packaging is the smallest among various materials, and of course the most environmentally friendly packaging products.
At present, there are deviations in China's industrial policies that lead to the development of green packaging, which emphasizes the advantages of paper packaging and ignores the characteristics of metal and glass packaging. The partial emphasis on the development of new products, while ignoring the role of traditional products in environmental protection. In addition, there is no subsidy mechanism for the recycling of packaging waste, and it has not played the role of economic leverage. There is also a lack of seriousness in the certification of "green packaging" products.