The key measures and evaluation indicators of the recycling economy in the packaging industry (1)

Circular economy is the main direction of the current world economic development and has been identified by China as the future economic development model. This is a major strategic decision I have made in economic development in the face of the world’s three major crises of “population, resources, and the environment” and the growing depletion of domestic resources, the growing pollution, and the increasingly damaging forms of ecology; GDP, ignoring the environment and focusing on the economic environment, focusing on the protection and conservation of resources, take the historical symbol of sustainable economic development. The packaging products have a short life cycle; many of them are used once, and they have a large amount of use. As a result, their consumption of resources is very serious; their solid waste also causes serious pollution to the environment, and thus the circular economy of the packaging industry is more urgent. This article discusses the connotation, key measures and evaluation index system for the implementation of circular economy in the packaging industry.

Connotation

Circular economy is the use of ecological laws to guide human society economic activities, with the efficient use of resources and recycling as the core, "reduction, reuse, recycling" as the basic principle, with low consumption, low emissions, high The essence of social production and reproduction in which efficiency is the basic feature is to realize the greatest economic and social development benefit with the least possible resource consumption and the lowest possible environmental cost.

The comprehensive use of circular economy financing sources, ecological design, clean production, material recycling and sustainable consumption are all in one, and the economic activities are transformed from the traditional “resource-product-waste discharge” “open-loop” model to “resource-product-one”. The "closed-loop" recycling model of "recycling of resources" has turned the traditional resource-consumption economy into a sustainable economic growth mode.

The most important operating principle for the implementation of circular economy is the "3R" principle, namely, Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. The packaging industry must successfully implement a circular economy. Each principle must be implemented. Less.

The importance of the three principles of “reduction, reuse, and recycling” emphasized by the circular economy is not the same, and the sequence of the three cannot be changed. Reduction is the most important principle of the three principles. First, it is necessary to reduce the quality of goods entering the production and consumption process. Reuse and recycling must be based on the full resource reduction of the economic process.

Key initiatives

The implementation of recycling economy by packaging enterprises is a gradual process, and key initiatives should be taken to gradually advance.

1. Working hard to pass IS014000 certification

Circular economy focuses on the efficient use and recycling of resources, but it is obtained by maintaining the environment, controlling waste generation, and recycling waste. The biggest areas of economic development currently benefiting from the end of the treatment of waste purification to the front of waste reduction, relying on maintenance of the environment to achieve maximum economic benefits has become the company's pursuit of the goal. IS014000 is an international environmental management standard formulated by ISO. Its purpose is to prevent pollution. Its purpose is to regulate the environmental behavior of enterprises. The main means is to establish an environmental management system. Therefore, in order to implement circular economy, packaging enterprises must first strengthen environmental management, establish an environmental management system, and strive to pass the certification of IS014000.

2. Efforts to develop waste-free and harmless processes and actively promote cleaner production

Cleaner production is also called "pollution-free process" and "less waste and no waste technology." The main connotation of cleaner production is “three cleanliness”, that is, the use of clean energy and raw materials, the adoption of a clean production process, and the production of clean products.

The main methods for cleaner production in the packaging industry are cleaning products and cleaning processes. The former refers to the design of non-toxic, recyclable, disposable, and reprocessable products based on the principles of pollution prevention. Green packaging is typical cleaning. The latter refers to the minimization of waste generation and toxicity in the production process and the establishment of production closures from raw material input to waste recycling. Under the current state of technological development, after the processing of industrial raw materials, all processes that have become products without generating waste or material loss have not yet reached much progress. Therefore, the packaging industry is currently advancing cleaner production, and it is advisable to make it easier than ever before. Each process and every process begins, through the innovation of processes and equipment, to reduce the amount of waste produced and toxicity, improve working conditions, and if necessary, end-of-pipe “three wastes” technologies can also be used.

3. Formulate the "3R" specifications and standards

“3R” is the basic operation principle of circular economy, and products are the basic unit for enterprises to implement circular economy, so implementing the “3R” principle through the product is the most effective means and the most important work for the enterprise to implement circular economy. The “3R” specification should mainly be carried out in terms of material selection, structural design, production process, recycling, etc., so that products can be reduced, reused, recycled and used after production and use. Based on that, the "3R" standard for products will be formulated by the industry and the country.

(to be continued)