From the Elimination of Disposable Plastics in the United States: Warnings and Opportunities for Packaging Industry

The Biden-Harris Administration has announced its intent to phase out all single-use plastics across US federal government agencies by 2035 and all single-use plastic products in foodservice, packaging, and events by 2027. This move has many warning significance for countries around the world, especially in the packaging industry, announcing that a profound change has quietly arrived.

The fundamental reason why the United States has completely eliminated disposable plastic products is that it has seen the main contradictions in the plastic recycling process and its huge harm to the environment. Plastics are difficult to degrade in the natural environment due to their stable chemical properties. The accumulation of large amounts of plastic waste has caused irreversible damage to the soil, water sources and ecosystems. Although plastic recycling technology is constantly developing, problems such as high recycling costs, low recycling efficiency and difficulty in ensuring the quality of recycled plastics remain prominent. At present, the plastic problem can no longer be avoided.

At the same time, although the EU's advocacy of recycled plastic PCR has encountered many practical difficulties, this does not mean that the exploration of environmental supervision of the packaging industry should stop. On the contrary, the US's move to eliminate plastics has provided valuable reference experience for other countries in the formulation and implementation of environmental protection policies. Governments of various countries need to fully consider the actual situation of their own industrial structure and enterprises, ensure that policies are operational, and introduce practical policies and regulations to limit the use of traditional non-recyclable packaging and promote the transformation of the packaging industry in a sustainable direction. It can be foreseen that packaging supervision will become more and more stringent in the future.

For enterprises, this is both a challenge and a rare opportunity. From the perspective of challenges, enterprises need to adjust and reform the existing packaging design and production process, which undoubtedly requires a lot of capital, manpower and time. Moreover, recyclable packaging may not be comparable to traditional packaging in some performance and cost for the time being. However, from a long-term perspective, this is a rare development opportunity. Enterprises that follow this trend will occupy a favorable position in future market competition.

First, recyclable and sustainable packaging meets the growing environmental awareness of consumers. Nowadays, more and more consumers are willing to pay higher prices for environmentally friendly products. Companies using environmentally friendly packaging can help improve their brand image and attract more consumers. Second, from a policy perspective, as packaging supervision is strengthened, companies that take the lead in adopting recyclable packaging will avoid risks that may be faced due to policy restrictions, such as high plastic taxes or packaging bans.

With the continuous advancement of recyclable packaging technology and the gradual emergence of economies of scale, its cost is expected to gradually decrease. Enterprises that layout ahead in the field of recyclable packaging can gain an advantage in future market competition. In terms of the application and design of recyclable packaging, enterprises can start from multiple dimensions. In terms of material selection, mono materials, paper and other materials that are easy to recycle and reuse can be given priority; in the design of packaging structure, emphasis should be placed on simplicity and lightness to facilitate disassembly and recycling.

Mingca Packing's mono material PEF shrink film, easy to recycle and regenerate.

The US's move to completely eliminate plastics has sounded the alarm for us. Whether from the perspective of environmental protection, resource utilization or sustainable development, it has far-reaching warning significance. As a major user of plastics, the packaging industry must follow the mainstream trend of replacing traditional packaging with recyclable and sustainable packaging. Only by looking at development with a long-term perspective, actively responding, seizing opportunities, and strengthening the application and design of recyclable packaging can enterprises face the increasingly fierce market competition in the future and aslo make their own contributions to the global environmental protection cause.

As a packaging source company, Mingca will continue to be committed to the research and development and application of recyclable heat shrink film. By continuously investing in research and development resources, actively exploring mono material packaging materials and technologies, and striving to improve the performance and quality of recyclable PEF shrink film, so that while meeting product packaging needs, it can minimize the impact on the environment.