The State Council order has been issued! If not green, you're out! The countdown to the implementation of the green packaging policy for express delivery

On April 13th, Premier Li Qiang of The State Council signed State Council Decree No. 806, promulgating the "Decision of The State Council on Amending the Interim Regulations on Express Delivery", clearly stating that it will come into effect on June 1st, 2025. The new regulations mainly encourage express delivery enterprises to use degradable and environmentally friendly packaging materials, further strengthen the legal obligations of express delivery enterprises in the use of green packaging materials and other aspects, and clarify the penalty provisions.

Premier Li Qiang pointed out: "Green transformation is not an 'optional question', but a 'compulsory question'." This policy setting indicates that the relevant policies for green governance in the express delivery industry are about to enter a stage of rapid implementation.

Regulatory supervision has been strengthened, and the countdown to the ban on plastic in express delivery tapes is on

In January 2020, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment issued the "Opinions on Further Strengthening the Governance of Plastic Pollution", explicitly stating for the first time that by the end of 2025, all postal and express delivery outlets across the country will completely ban the use of non-biodegradable plastic tapes.

Since then, policies have been advanced layer by layer and continuously pressured: In 2022, the "Measures for the Administration of Mail and Express Packaging" established a "whoever uses it is responsible" main responsibility mechanism. In 2024, the "Measures for the Administration of the Express Market" was revised and added a maximum fine of 20,000 yuan. Up to the recently revised "Interim Regulations on Express Delivery", the policy level has completed an iterative upgrade from advocacy and guidance to administrative penalties.

According to data from the State Post Bureau, there will be an average of 480 million express packages per day in China in 2024. The consumption of express delivery tape is huge, and it is mainly non-biodegradable tape, which has problems such as being difficult to recycle and degrade. Therefore, it is urgent to increase policy pressure.

As the time point of the "plastic ban" approaches, the industry is about to enter a period of hard constraints. Postal administrations in Shanghai, Chongqing and other places have issued regulations, requiring all express delivery outlets to prohibit the use of non-biodegradable plastic tapes. Whoever can complete the complete replacement of non-biodegradable tapes first will take the initiative in the green transformation. Enterprises that continue to wait and see will have to confront the dual challenges of compliance risks and public opinion pressure.

Over 100 billion meters of non-biodegradable adhesive tape has become a chronic problem to be addressed.

Under the impetus of policies, leading enterprises such as JD.com and SF Express achieved initial success in packaging reduction and recycling in 2024: JD Logistics deployed 960,000 reusable boxes, SF Express deployed 345,000 reusable packaging boxes, and Cainiao achieved a carbon reduction of 156,000 tons through green packaging solutions.

However, these explorations have been concentrated on "visible links" such as cartons and transfer bags. In the frequently used sealing box link, most enterprises have not stopped using non-biodegradable tapes, and have not fully disclosed the related actions and transformation achievements.

Data from the State Post Bureau shows that in 2024, the cumulative volume of express delivery services across the country reached 175.08 billion pieces, representing a year-on-year growth of 21.5%. According to estimates, the average amount of tape used for each express delivery in China is 0.8 meters. Based on this estimation, the annual consumption of express delivery tape exceeds 140 billion meters, which could circle the Earth's equator about 3,500 times. The vast majority of these tapes are still non-biodegradable and have become the "invisible but heaviest" pollution burden in express delivery packaging.

As of now, apart from China Post and J&T Express, the other major express delivery giants have not announced any clear alternatives to degradable tape, nor have they disclosed any actual procurement or replacement ratios on the ground. Compared with environmentally friendly actions such as lightweight cartons and recyclable packaging that are highly visible, adhesive tape, as a "high-frequency small material", has long been overlooked due to its difficulty in being detected.

The express delivery business volume and tape usage of some express delivery enterprises in 2024

The green transformation of express delivery packaging is facing significant obstacles. According to China Science News, enterprises generally choose traditional materials to save costs, and the promotion of environmentally friendly packaging is restricted.

The State Post Bureau pointed out that the green development of express packaging still faces problems such as insufficient coordination between upstream and downstream, high cost pressure, and an incomplete recycling system. Although the E-commerce Law and the Interim Regulations on Express Delivery have put forward clear requirements for green packaging in express delivery, due to the lack of specific penalty measures, enterprises have encountered formalistic problems such as merely passing inspections and making temporary rectifications in actual implementation, which has affected the effective implementation of relevant policies.

During the Two Sessions, Hu Dongfang, a deputy to the National People's Congress, stated straightforwardly: "When I conducted visits and research at the grassroots level, I still saw that some express delivery companies and e-commerce merchants, in pursuit of low cost and high efficiency, extensively use disposable plastic packaging materials."

The Department of Resource Conservation and Environmental Protection of the National Development and Reform Commission disclosed that Hainan, as a national demonstration province for green packaging in express delivery, once saw the usage rate of degradable packaging bags and recyclable transfer bags exceed 90%. However, there are still illegal acts in key links such as packaging reduction and recycling treatment. Many express delivery outlets still mix and use non-degradable tapes. Even Hainan, a "model student", has chronic problems in governance, and the situation in other regions is even more worrying.

The postal service took the lead in firing the "first shot" of the green transformation of adhesive tapes.

Facing the plastic pollution problem caused by express delivery tapes, China Post has taken the lead in promoting alternative solutions. In June 2023, according to CCTV reports, China Post successfully developed a new generation of BOPLA biodegradable tape, achieving key breakthroughs in performance and cost.

BOPLA tape is made from polylactic acid (PLA) extracted from plant starch through fermentation. It is an environmentally friendly new material that is renewable in source, controllable in degradation and stable in performance. Data from Express Magazine shows that the average elongation at break of BOPLA tape is 113%, which is 3.5 times higher than that of the previous generation of biodegradable tape, fully meeting the performance requirements of the tape standards for express packaging.

During the "Double Eleven" period in 2023, China Post piloted the use of BOPLA tape first in cities such as Xiamen, Guangzhou and Fuzhou. In March 2024, China Post launched a nationwide adhesive tape tender, marking the transition of biodegradable adhesive tape from regional pilot projects to large-scale promotion.

After nearly two years of national promotion and market testing, BOPLA tape has become a recognized green tape solution in the industry, thanks to its multiple advantages such as performance and cost. China Post has set a practical benchmark for the green transformation of adhesive tapes in the express delivery industry through a complete path of "technology research and development - pilot verification - national promotion".

How to win the green battle of adhesive tape?

The State Council officially released the revised "Interim Regulations on Express Delivery", marking the completion of the institutional guarantee for the governance of express delivery packaging. The new regulations clearly stipulate that enterprises must use environmentally friendly materials that meet the national mandatory standards; otherwise, they will face penalties. With the official implementation of this regulation on June 1st, the governance of express delivery packaging will also enter a stage of strict supervision.

From the green governance of the "last mile" of express delivery to the green innovation of "a roll of tape", the governance of express delivery packaging is an inevitable path for the industry to move towards high-quality development, and it is also an important battlefield in China's ecological civilization construction. On this battlefield, the joint efforts of all parties including regulatory authorities, enterprises and practitioners are needed.