Over the past decade, the express delivery industry has witnessed a continuous growth rate of up to 50%. According to the monitoring data of the State Post Bureau, the average daily business volume of the express delivery industry now exceeds 240 million, and 675 million express items were processed on the "Double 11" day in 2020 alone. It is estimated that by 2035, the annual delivery volume will exceed 200 billion items, 10 times the current volume.

However, while the express delivery industry drives economic vitality, it also imposes new burdens on the environment and resources.

New challenges to green development

In addition to the energy consumption in transportation, the use of express packaging places a strain on resources and the environment. At present, express packaging is mainly divided into paper and plastic according to materials.

If the number of waybills is calculated, the main packaging materials of corrugated cartons account for 44.03%, plastic bags account for 33.52%, set cartons account for 9.47%, the rest are woven bags, pearlescent bags, foam plastic, file bags, etc..

In the packaging process, a large amount of tape is needed for winding and reinforcement. Cartons, plastic bags and adhesive tapes consume resources and pollute the environment during production. A large number of packaging materials will later become garbage, further causing resource waste and environmental pollution.

Without the implementation of strict garbage recycling system, all kinds of express packages will not be effectively recycled and used, causing a great negative impact on the environment.

The excessive packaging of express delivery and the impact of packaging waste on the environment have gradually become the focus of environmental governance. Although the government has issued many policies and governance plans on the green development of express packaging, the green development of express packaging is still a thorny issue under the background of "carbon neutrality".