How Packaging Industry Develops Circular Economy (I)

First, what is the recycling economy?

In today's increasingly scarce resources, circular economy has become the only way for sustainable development. Circular economy is an ecological economy based on the continuous recycling of materials. It uses the principle of “reduction, reuse, and recycling” and takes the principle of low consumption, low emissions, and high efficiency as its basic characteristics to form “resources—products— The process of the repeated circulation of the material of the “renewable resources” basically does not generate waste. All the materials and energy must be able to be used reasonably and lastingly in this ongoing economic cycle in order to influence the economic activities on the natural environment. Reduce it to the smallest possible degree. The recent convening of the two sessions and the entry into force of the "Kyoto Protocol" have pushed the "circular economy" concept stocks to the forefront.

Circular economy is constituted according to the principles of ecological economics. Sustainable development of the national economic system is the best mode of economic development that fully utilizes scientific and technological achievements and realizes harmony between mankind and nature, economy, and resources. It is the comprehensive utilization of cleaner production and resources. Integration of ecological design, sustainable consumption, etc. The use of ecological laws to guide human economic activities is a fundamental change in the traditional growth model of “mass production, mass consumption, and mass disposal”. The circular economy is essentially an ecological economy. It is willing to use ecological economy to guide people's economic activities, make the economic system and the natural system match, and establish an economic form of continuous circulation. The circular economy advocates an environment-friendly economy. The development model, which refers to the economic activity organization as a recycling and feedback process of resources, products, consumption, and renewable resources. Through the continuous recycling of resources, it will drive economic growth in order to eliminate over-exploitation of natural resources, achieve low emissions and even zero emissions, and reduce the impact of economic activities on the natural environment to the smallest possible extent. Ultimately, economic society will achieve sustainable development.

During the entire life cycle of the packaging, the principle of economic activity (reduce, reuse, recycle) of the circular economy (ie, the 3R principle) should be followed. Minimize the environmental impact of packaging.

The reduction is targeted at the input. It requires less input of raw materials and energy to achieve the intended production or consumption. At the source of economic activity, attention should be paid to saving resources and reducing pollution. Fortunately, waste should be avoided through prevention rather than end-of-pipe management. The implementation of “reduction” of commodity packaging should begin with the improvement of design. When ensuring the protection, transportation, storage, and sales functions of packaging, priority is given to minimizing the total amount of materials used, adopting the smallest possible volume of packaging design as much as possible. Packaging or disposable packaging does not meet the reduction principle.

Reuse is about product time intensity. It requires products and packaging containers to be used in the initial form as many times as possible or in multiple ways to prevent items from becoming garbage prematurely to counter the proliferation of disposables in the world today. For packaging, it is necessary to extend its life cycle and use reusable packaging containers to increase the recycling rate of the packaging to save energy and materials. In addition to the selection of reusable materials, it is also crucial to improve the quality of packaging design. If the service life of a package product is doubled, half of the packaging waste will be correspondingly reduced.

Recycling is aimed at the output side. It requires that the manufactured goods can be turned into usable resources instead of garbage after they have completed their use functions, so as to reduce the final disposal amount, ie, the comprehensive utilization of wastes. Designers of packaging products should pay attention to selecting materials with reusable value so that packaging waste can be recycled back into the economic cycle.

Second, the problems in the development of circular economy in China

1. Insufficient recycling of packaging waste

According to statistics, in 2003, the German waste packaging cycle saved 61.4 billion joules of natural energy, such as electricity, equivalent to 1/3 of the amount of wind power generated in Germany over the same period. In addition, about 1.32 million tons of greenhouse emissions have been reduced through recycling. In 2003, Germany recovered 5.99 million tons of packaging materials, 72.6 kilograms per capita. The United Kingdom stipulates that in 2000, 60% of industrial product packaging and 35% of household product packaging will be recycled. In order to promote the use of reusable and recycled packaging products, the European Union has stipulated that from 2000 onwards, packaging materials that cannot be reused or recycled cannot be excluded from the market.

The greatest benefit of recycling and recycling of packaging waste is to save energy and resources, not only to create considerable economic benefits, but also to generate good environmental benefits. Taking recycling of two aluminum cans as an example, remelting and smelting 1t of aluminum saves 95% of energy compared to production of aluminum from bauxite. Recovery of 1t of aluminum can save 4t of aluminum ore, 400 petroleum and coke; recycling of steel and glass waste can save energy. 50% of the energy needed to produce this type of material; parts or packaging containers made of plastic waste can save 85% to 90% of the energy needed to produce plastics.

According to statistics, in 2003, the total amount of packaging waste in China reached 15 million tons. If the economic growth rate grows synchronously, the total amount of packaging waste in the country in the next 10 years will reach 150 million tons, and the area will only reach 6 Ten thousand hectares According to a survey conducted by the National People's Congress's Environment and Resources Protection Committee, at present, China's packaging waste accounts for more than 10% of urban household garbage, and its volume accounts for more than 30% of domestic household garbage. Most of the packaging items used in our lives, such as shampoo bottles, toothpaste tubes, yoghurts, and ice cream, often use more than 50% of urban solid waste, and they cost a lot of urban society. Human, material and financial resources.

China still pays insufficient attention to the recycling and reuse of packaging waste. The recovery technology is backward, the system is not perfect, and the recycling rate is very low. According to statistics, the recycling rate of waste packaging paper in China is only 30%. The packaging of medicines, cans, and cosmetics is almost completely abandoned, and the plastic recycling rate is only 30%. In 2003, the packaging industry in Hubei province achieved sales revenue of more than 26 billion yuan, accounting for 6.4% of the industrial product sales revenue of the year; and realized profits and taxes of 2.25 billion yuan, accounting for 1.98% of total industrial profits and taxes in the same year. Its speed of development and economic benefits ranked 8th and 12th in the province's nearly 40 industries. However, due to constraints of capital, technology, and management level, Hubei Province is still at a relatively low level in the organic integration of packaging materials and the environment, and in the research and implementation of the recycling of ecological recycling, and the recycling of packaging waste. Work has also stayed at a relatively low level. The vast majority of packaging waste has not met the requirements of environmental protection for safe, non-toxic and non-harmful disposal. Packaging products in the process of facilitating people's life and promoting economic development, a large number of packaging waste also cause serious harm to the environment, and continue to exacerbate the deterioration of the ecological environment.

(to be continued)