Opportunities and challenges of paper packaging under the new plastic restriction order "salon was held in Beijing

Developing plastic substitute products with new degradable paper based materials

On August 21, sponsored by China pulp and paper research institute, China paper society and app (China) of Jinguang group, and organized by China pulp and paper research institute and China paper magazine, the salon meeting of "opportunities and challenges of paper packaging under the new plastic limit order" was held in Beijing.

Based on the opinions on Further Strengthening the control of plastic pollution (hereinafter referred to as the new plastic restriction order) issued by the national development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of ecological environment, the salon will give a comprehensive discussion on the future development of the paper industry, including fully exploring the new opportunities of paper packaging, and jointly promoting the scientific and technological innovation and integrated development of paper packaging, Under the guidance of the new plastic restriction policy, more functional paper packaging materials that meet the policy requirements, market demand and environmental protection are developed.

In the new plastic restriction order, it is clear that "it is forbidden to produce and sell ultra-thin plastic shopping bags with thickness less than 0.025mm."; By the end of 2020, the production and sale of disposable foam plastic tableware and disposable plastic swabs will be prohibited. Forbid and restrict the use of non degradable plastic bags, disposable plastic tableware, disposable plastic articles for hotels and hotels, express plastic packaging, etc.

At the salon meeting, Qian Guijing, former chairman of the board of supervisors of the state owned assets supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council and former vice president of China Light Industry Federation, pointed out that the new plastic restriction order has brought new opportunities for the paper packaging industry, and hoped that the paper industry and other related industries could find better solutions through innovation and industrial integration in the future.

Zhang Jun, the second level inspector of the Department of consumer goods industry of the Ministry of industry and information technology of the people's Republic of China, thinks from the perspective of consumption that relevant industries should take this opportunity to vigorously implement the "three products" strategy, that is, increasing varieties, improving quality, creating brands, and developing better substitutes through innovation.

Guo Yongxin, Executive Secretary General of China Light Industry Federation, introduced the work of relevant state departments in promoting plastic pollution control and accelerating the promotion of degradable plastics from six aspects, including document background, industry status, work measures, standard identification, joint creativity and paper industry opportunities. "Under the new plastic restriction, the concept of biodegradability will help the application of paper, expand the promotion of paper substitutes, and promote the innovation and development of special functional products in the paper industry, which will provide more opportunities for the paper industry," Guo said

In the face of the requirement in the plastic restriction order that "bio based products such as straw coated lunch boxes and biodegradable plastic bags meeting the performance and food safety requirements should be promoted in the field of food and beverage takeout", whether paper packaging can completely replace plastic packaging to meet the needs of consumers has become the focus of experts' attention.

Cao Zhenlei, chairman of China papermaking association, believes that the industry needs to focus on solving some problems such as the lack of paper packaging performance, the low proportion of primary fiber in packaging paper and the separation and recycling of paper-based composites.

In the view of Zhao Wei, chairman of China Paper Association, in order to promote the wider application of paper packaging, the paper industry should strive to solve the problems of waterproof and anti-seepage of paper packaging products through technological innovation, including extensibility, especially heat sealing, film covering, edge penetration and so on.

As representatives of the packaging industry, Wang Li, vice president of China Packaging Federation, and Cao Guorong, Secretary General of anti-counterfeiting packaging and product traceability Committee of China Packaging Federation, both believe that under the background of the new plastic restriction policy, the two industries of paper making and printing packaging should work together to develop more environmentally friendly and recyclable products.

Representatives from enterprises also analyzed the opportunities and challenges facing the upstream and downstream of the paper industry from the perspective of production, development and application. All enterprise representatives said that if paper products want to replace plastic products, the key point is to achieve both economic convenience and green environmental protection.

Finally, Cao Chunyu, Secretary General of China paper society, pointed out at the salon that under the promotion of relevant policies, paper can replace some plastic products, and the paper industry needs to predict as soon as possible, seize the opportunity, and make a good response“ Through the introduction of mature and practical advanced cutting-edge technology and the development of new biodegradable paper-based composite materials and other innovative means, we will develop suitable plastic substitute products to meet the market demand. " Cao Chunyu said.