China urges green transition for courier sector as e-commerce boom leaves a trail of packaging waste | South China Morning Post

China’s decarbonisation campaign has its cross hairs trained on the country’s mountain of discarded courier packaging material as the volume of parcels delivered hits a record high while Beijing is scrambling to meet its ambitious climate goals.

The country aims to establish a standard system for green courier packaging by the end of 2025, and ban the use of toxic and harmful materials, according to a joint action plan unveiled by the central economic planner National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), State Post Bureau, and six other state authorities.

China’s express delivery industry consumes more than 9 million tons of paper and about 1.8 million tons of plastic on average each year, according to data released by the eight state departments in 2020.