The State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) has announced that since the implementation of the national standard "Biodegradable Plastic Shopping Bags" (GB/T 38082-2019) over five years ago, in conjunction with the national "plastic restriction order" policies, China has reduced the use of traditional plastic bags by approximately 20 billion annually, effectively addressing the "white pollution" caused by improper disposal of traditional plastic waste.
The national standard stipulates that the raw materials for biodegradable plastic shopping bags must be derived from biomass resources or synthetic polymers with biodegradable properties, providing technical support for "carbon reduction". Taking poly(lactic acid) (PLA) as an example, biodegradable plastic shopping bags can reduce the comprehensive carbon emissions by 70% compared to traditional PE bags. The cumulative reduction in the use of traditional plastic bags over five years is equivalent to saving 1.2 million tons of petroleum resources and reducing 840,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. The replacement of 20 billion traditional plastic bags annually has significantly reduced the proportion of traditional plastic in urban household waste.
The national standard classifies biodegradable plastic shopping bags into two categories: those for direct food contact and those for non-direct food contact. It requires clear labeling of the corresponding category, specifications, environmental protection and safety statements, etc. on the shopping bags, which meets consumers' expectations for green consumption and promotes the transformation of public environmental awareness from "cognition" to "action". The recognition rate of "degradable bags" among consumers has increased by more than 50%, and the willingness to pay for their use has also increased. As the use of "degradable bags" for shopping in malls, supermarkets, and markets has become a habitual behavior for citizens, the production cost of biodegradable plastic shopping bags has decreased, further promoting their widespread use.
The national standard promotes the integrated development of technological and industrial innovation in biodegradable materials. With breakthroughs in biodegradable material technology, the cost of raw materials such as PLA and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) has decreased by more than 30% compared to traditional degradable plastics, further stimulating the production enthusiasm of enterprises. Under the leadership of more than 20 leading enterprises, corresponding industrial clusters have been formed in Zhejiang, Guangdong, and other regions. From 2020 to 2024, the annual comprehensive growth rate of the production capacity of biodegradable plastic shopping bags in China has continuously exceeded 20%, with a total output of nearly 500,000 tons and a total value of over 10 billion yuan in 2024. It is predicted that by 2030, the production of degradable plastic bags in China will reach 2 million tons, and the market capacity will exceed 60 billion yuan.
The market supervision department will further promote the implementation of the national standard "Biodegradable Plastic Shopping Bags", providing standard support for achieving the "dual carbon" goals and the "plastic restriction" action, and injecting "standard power" into building a beautiful China.
Source: State Administration for Market Regulation of the People's Republic of China
