As the World Packaging Conference concluded yesterday in Beijing, attention was drawn to green packaging, a new but highly significant concept for China.

The country is building an environment-friendly and resource-efficient society. Green packaging is crucial to the drive. By adhering to the principle of "reduce, re-use, recycle, refill and degrade," the new idea advocates a packaging method that encourages the use of less material and recyclable and degradable materials.

While the developed world embraced the idea many years ago, China is trying to catch up.

As Vice-Premier Zeng Peiyan said at the conference, the country is doubling efforts to push green packaging as part of its environmental protection drive.

The domestic packaging market was valued at US$50 billion last year, according to the China Packaging Federation. More importantly, it is growing at the fast pace of 20 per cent annually.

The size and strong growth momentum mean we have great potential to make our packaging green. Alternatively, if we stop short of immediate and effective action, the situation will deteriorate rapidly.

The moon cake box, for example, has become heavily decorative and consumes a large amount of paper materials, posing a threat to our forests. And the country's annual consumption of paper containers for packaging is the equivalent of 1.68 million medium-sized trees.

To push the cause of green packaging, the government, enterprises and individuals should join forces.

For the government especially, it is its unshakeable responsibility to push relevant legislation and draft policies such as tax cuts to encourage enterprises to conform to green standards and promote the awareness of purchasing commodities with green packaging among the public.

Legislation is the most effective way to promote the public cause, as demonstrated by the experiences of Western economies that have long embraced the idea of green packaging.

We have a law that deals with clean production, but it is far less competent governing the specific issue of packaging. Now administrative departments are mainly involved in packaging regulation, such as fighting excessive packaging and the use of white plastic bags that are not degradable. In this process, controversies frequently arise as to the legality of government interference.

A law in this respect will provide government agencies with strong legal back-up, promote understanding and win support from the public.

(China Daily April 21, 2006)