China is working to develop "green packaging" as part of its
efforts to build an environmentally friendly society, Vice Premier
Zeng
Peiyan said yesterday.
He said this while referring to the vast growth of packaging
waste at the World Packaging Conference, which opened in Beijing
yesterday.
"The huge increase in packaging waste has become a worldwide
problem that deserves great attention," Zeng said.
He added that China's packaging industry is concerned about
environmental protection and resource conservation.
Zeng called for additional efforts to be made to promote green
packaging by developing waste-recycling technologies and using
biodegradable materials.
China's packaging sector has witnessed robust growth in recent
years. According to statistics from the China Packaging Federation,
total packaging output was worth US$50 billion last year, a
year-on-year growth of more than 20 percent.
"A challenge for Chinese packaging innovators is to create
efficient packaging with the consumption of less energy and
resources and less waste after use," Alexis Stassinopoulos,
president of the World Packaging Organization, said at the
conference.
Stassinopoulos said the increasing consumption of convenience
foods creates a corresponding demand for packaging materials.
It is estimated that 25 billion pizza boxes were sold all over
the world last year, Stassinopoulos said. "I should also mention
packaging from McDonald's or Kentucky Fried Chicken, which are
becoming very popular in China.
"We must all work to create new packaging solutions, which save
more and consume less," he said.
In order to economize the gradually decreasing resources and
protect the environment, the development of green packaging must be
carried out without delay, said Shi Wanpeng, president of the China
Packaging Federation.
More efforts are needed to conducted related research and
development into supplying the market with better packaging
products, which are non-poisonous, harmless and lightweight, Shi
said in a keynote speech.
"We should try to find develop more effective waste-recycling
technology for packaging for optimal resource efficiency."
(China Daily April 20, 2006)
