Recently, the new national standard for biodegradable plastic shopping bags (GB/T 38082-2025) was officially released and will come into effect on January 1, 2027. This adjustment has led to a comprehensive quality upgrade of biodegradable plastic bags from "ambiguous labeling and questionable usage" to "clear standards and reliable usability".
Firstly, it focuses on the labeling norms that consumers are most concerned about. Previously, some products were only labeled as "degradable and environmentally friendly bags", but without clear explanations of degradation conditions, material composition, and degradation effects, leaving consumers unable to make informed judgments. The new national standard has made a strict requirement: product packaging must clearly indicate degradation conditions, material composition, and the standards followed, clarifying the product attributes from the source.
Secondly, it clarifies the core degradation indicators. The new national standard has raised the threshold of biodegradation rate to over 90% and set clear degradation time limits for different application scenarios: under industrial composting conditions, it should be basically completely degraded within 180 days, and in soil and marine environments, the degradation period should not exceed two years. "Whether it can degrade" and "how long it takes to degrade" now have quantifiable standards, completely ending the era of "vague expressions".
In response to consumers' actual concerns that "environmentally friendly bags are beautiful but not durable", the new national standard also provides targeted solutions. The standard has optimized the testing methods for key indicators such as load-bearing performance, drop strength, and sealing strength, aiming to solve the industry's pain point of "easy damage to the contents". This ensures that environmental friendliness and practicality are both achieved, truly realizing "environmental protection without compromise".
Most importantly, the new national standard further strengthens the main responsibility of production and sales enterprises. From factory inspection, reasonable storage period control, to clear labeling of usage information, clear requirements have been set for all links in the chain.
From labeling norms, performance indicators to production management, the new national standard has established a complete standard system. This is not only an industry technology upgrade but also a profound green industry transformation - through standard guidance, it promotes the fundamental shift in plastic product pollution control from "end-of-pipe management" to "source prevention and control".
