Excessive Packaging Abalone Cans.jpg: Given as gifts at Chinese New Year, three cans of Australian Abalone get the excessive packaging treatment: embossed leather wooden box, brass plaque and satin cushion.
Round table conference
These new packaging regulations will be the focus of a round-table conference entitled, Understanding China’s legislative approach to Excessive Packaging Reduction in collaboration with LuxePack Shanghai exhibition (29th March 2011)
Packaging| Regulations
China’s Excessive Packaging legislation explained
China is the only country in the world that has imposed legislation to control excessive packaging. These sustainable packaging regulations are aimed at reducing the amount of packaging material used, cutting the volume of discarded packaging that ends up in municipal landfill and also act as a Chinese consumer protection measure to prohibit deceptive retail packaging.
Packaging Excesses
China’s packaging industry has been growing by more than 14% annually, and contributes about 2.4% to the national GDP. In 2010, China’s retail sales grew by 18.4%.
This rapid growth does not come without a cost: According to a recent report from the China Science Centre of the International Eurasian Academy of Sciences, the country accounts for 30.6% of the world's household waste - producing more than 152 million tonness annually. In recent years, the volume of discarded packaging has been increasing by 8-10% annually.
The treatment of household garbage has become a serious financial liability for city administrators: Beijing's population of 20 million produces nearly 20,000 tons of garbage every day, overburdening its 23 municipal waste treatment plants. To cope with this waste mountain, the city authorities plan to build an additional 17 treatment plants by 2015, at a cost of Euro 1.11 billion (US$1.15 billion / RMB 10 billion).
Beijing’s landfills now occupy around 1,300 hectares of land; this is growing by more than 33 hectares annually – within three years the city’s landfill sites will be completely full.
In answer to this urban problem of packaging waste, Central Government Introduced the excessive packaging regulations in 2010. Initially covering beverage packaging, cosmetic packaging and selected food and bakery products packaging, these regulations;
Limit the number of packaging layers permitted to three.
Restrict the permitted headspace (void-space) volume.
Specify a maximum ratio between the cost of the packaging and the retail product price.
An understanding of these regulations is vital for both brand owners and packaging suppliers selling, or producing, in the Chinese domestic market
Expert insight
Delegates attending the forum will gain first hand expert insight into these Chinese regulations from keynote speaker, Wang Yuande, director of the China Technology & Standardization Research Office, publisher of the mandatory Chinese National Standard upon which these regulations are based.
Wang participated in the development of national standards GB 23350 "Restricting excessive packaging requirements of food and cosmetics," and many other packaging standards. He is also co-chair of the International Standards Organisation Committee ISO/TC122/CS4/WG1 in charge of formulating the new Packaging and Environment ISO series of standards for common use requirements (ISO CD18601).
At theLuxePack Shanghai conference he will explain the formulae for calculating Excessive Packaging headspace, packaging layers and the ratio between packaging cost and the retail price. In addition, he will update delegates on progress on the work of the Packaging & Environment ISO committee.
Stuart Hoggard, publisher of the Singapore-based industry online journal, PackWebasia.com, and author of the Environmental Packaging Compliance guide “Asian Packaging & Environmental Laws” will set the restrictions against the background of packaging growth in China and the key laws that impact the industry: The Circular Economy Law and The Method for Administration of Recycling Packaging Materials.
Staffan Sjöberg of paperboard manufacturer Iggesund, will travel from Sweden to explain how sustainable forest management and the paper manufacturing contribute to the Circular Economy.
Also participating in the forum will be the packaging experts from global brand owners who will discuss their sustainable packaging initiatives.
To purchase the PackWebasia compliance guide to the Excessive Packaging Laws: bookstore/asian-packaging
About LuxePack, Shanghai
Now in its 4th year, LuxePack Shanghai provides a unique selective and qualitative marketplace where packaging manufacturers from all over the world will meet Chinese and Asian high-end brands, looking for international packaging suppliers.
For more information: luxepackshanghai.com
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