Preliminary view of over-packaging

At present, there is an over-packaging phenomenon in society. First, it wastes resources. Second, it pollutes the environment and causes unreasonable excessive consumption. There is no doubt that excessive packaging is harmful to consumers and the country.

Packaging has seven functions: protecting goods, beautifying goods, saving costs, facilitating storage and transportation, facilitating measurement, guiding consumption, and increasing added value. With the development of the national economy, the expansion of foreign trade, and the improvement of the people’s living standards, the demand for goods for packaging has become greater and greater, and the requirements have become higher and higher.

Basic Estimates for the Packaging Industry in China For a long time, China's packaging industry has a weak foundation, obsolete equipment, backward technology, and decentralized management. Since the reform and opening up, China's packaging industry has achieved rapid development, and its growth rate is higher than that of the national economy. However, compared with economically developed countries, it still lags behind. The situation of "first-class goods, second-class packaging and third-class prices" has not yet changed. In the economically developed countries, the packaging industry has a prominent position, even as a pillar industry. In the United States, the packaging industry ranks fifth among all industries in the national economy, second only to the construction industry, automotive industry, petrochemical industry, and information industry. In Germany, the packaging industry ranks sixth. China's packaging industry ranks only 16th. Therefore, accelerating the development of the packaging industry is the main direction and the mainstream. We must make our country not only a big packaging country, but also a packaging power.

Excessive packaging scope and its management ideas package has many functions, but not all products need to be packaged to play all functions. In use, usually only according to the demand, to play some of its main functions, such as beautifying goods, guiding consumption, and improving goods. Added value and more. Exceeding demand and packaging that is too high-grade is over-packaging. Excessive packaging also manifests itself in other areas, such as plastic bags that are not currently used everywhere. Economically developed countries refer to plastic bags as the worst invention because it wastes resources and pollutes the environment. European and American countries have controlled the production and use of plastic bags, and Ireland has begun to impose taxes on the production and use of plastic bags.

Now the China Packaging Technology Association is working on the formulation of "Several Opinions on Further Promoting the Development of China's Packaging Industry," which mentions the "Regulations on Commodity Packaging Management" as soon as possible. On this basis, tracking the status quo and development trend of foreign packaging legislation, combined with the actual situation in China, formulate and implement the packaging method and packaging waste disposal method in China. For over-packaging, laws and regulations have to be formulated in the future.

First of all, we must clearly govern the purpose of excessive packaging: First, in order to reduce the burden on consumers, protect the legitimate rights and interests of consumers; Second, protect the ecological environment and resources. Excessive packaging is the result of certain production companies blindly pursuing corporate interests and excessively increasing value-added goods regardless of social benefits and consumer interests. Overpacking, like mooncakes, makes consumers buy mooncakes as buying packages. According to relevant department statistics, the monthly cake manufacturers in China spend as much as 10 billion yuan on packaging. The huge over-packing costs are undoubtedly passed on to consumers. The phenomenon of excessive packaging has been expanded to nutritional products, health foods, etc., making consumers spend a lot of money, some complaints, some helplessness, and a strong response. Excessive packaging also consumes and consumes a lot of resources, causing some damage to the ecological environment. Take Shanghai as an example. Shanghai produces about 100 million boxes of moon cakes every year. Even if it is not overpacked, it will consume 400-600 trees with a DBH of 10 cm, not to mention over-packaging.

Secondly, consider the means of over-packaging, that is, formulating corresponding regulations and clearly stipulating that excessive packaging is an illegal act and restricting excessive packaging through legal means: First, limit the proportion and the number of layers of commodity packaging in the entire commodity, such as the volume control of packaging. In the volume of goods 10% -15% (except buffer packaging); the second is to limit the cost of the goods packaged in the entire product, such as the packaging cost control in the value of the goods 15% -20%; third is over manufactured The packaging manufacturers levy a “return charge for scraps” and impose a “garbage clean-up fee” on consumers who discard over-packed waste after purchasing over-packaged goods, and limit excessive packaging through taxation leverage.

The third is to guide the green packaging. In the process of over-packaging, we must guide and combine governance and guidance. From the perspective of laws and regulations, and heights, the government and industry associations should strengthen guidance, increase propaganda, and guide enterprises in the society to establish and enhance the concept of green packaging.

In short, we must use legal means, economic means, and administrative means to curb and eliminate excessive packaging of goods from all aspects.

World Business Review