Electronic information products to create "green packaging"

In international trade, along with the gradual reduction or elimination of tariff trade barriers, some non-tariff barriers that have been replaced have played an increasingly important role in international trade. In addition to some traditional means of trade protection, such as anti-dumping, countervailing, and safeguard measures, new measures such as new technical barriers and green environmental protection barriers are increasing, among which the green trade barriers are becoming an insurmountable obstacle. In this regard, it is imperative for electronic information products to create "green packaging."

With the rapid development of China's electronic information industry, China has become the world's largest producer and exporter of electronic information products. In recent years, the export of electronic information products has increased at an average annual rate of more than 30%. In 2003, China’s exports of electronic information products amounted to 142.1 billion U.S. dollars, accounting for one-third of the country’s total foreign trade exports, and accounted for 20% of the world’s total trade in electronic information products. The rapid growth of the electronic information industry has also led to the rapid development of the packaging industry.

Two Instructions for Restricting Packaging Materials

China's accession to the WTO has reached more than two years. Coupled with the great development in economic globalization, China's foreign trade has also increased substantially. In particular, the success of the EU’s eastward expansion this year has increased from the original 15 countries to 25 countries. At the same time, the EU’s import quota for Chinese household appliances has been thawed, and the EU has officially become an important market for the export of household appliances in China.

However, on February 13, 2003, the European Union announced in its "Official Gazette" the "Destruction of Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive" and the "Prohibition on the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment" (WEEE and ROHS Directive) (below Abbreviated as "Two Directives", the "Two Directives" of the European Union have been formally effective since August 13, 2004. The EU "Two Directives" are actually a very typical green environmental protection barrier. The "Two Directives" aim at maintaining, protecting and improving the quality of environmental protection, protecting human health and using natural resources rationally and prudently. Electrical equipment must meet certain environmental protection requirements. According to industry insiders, the "Two Directives" not only affect the entire manufacturer of electronic information products, but also involve upstream and downstream companies such as raw materials, chemicals, and packaging materials, and even affect the export of Chinese electronic information products. In addition to the aforementioned "Two Directives" of the European Union, it is reported that developed countries such as Japan and the United States have also formulated similar related laws and regulations. If the laws and regulations of these countries are introduced and implemented, they will undoubtedly cause damage to the export of Chinese electronic information products. Inestimable influence.

EU countries have successively imposed strict restrictions and regulations on wooden pallets, wooden crates, EPS foamed plastics and adhesives, printing inks, paints and other packaging materials, accessories and packaging waste. The "Two Directives" issued in early 2003 further emphasized that electronic and electrical equipment entering the European Union must not contain toxic and hazardous substances such as lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated diphenyl ether, and polybrominated biphenyls.

Obviously, for export product companies, “green environmental protection” has become a passport to the EU market. Therefore, countermeasures must be taken as soon as possible in order to maintain the continuous and stable development of China's electronic information industry.

Domestic companies are waiting

Packaging is the continuation of the product production process and is also an important part of the product distribution process. The "Two Directives" promulgated by the European Union will speed up the global environmental protection of electronic information products, and it will undoubtedly be a strong catalyst for China's packaging of electronic information products to follow the "green environmental protection" track.

Green environmental protection is in line with the world's green consumption trend and is becoming the consensus of the entire society. As a representative of high-tech industries, the electronic information industry has been serving as the main driving force for the development of the world economy for more than a decade. With the awakening of environmental awareness, the environmental issue of electronic information product packaging has also received more attention. For this reason, the "Measures for the Administration of the Pollution Prevention of Electronic Information Products", which China and the European Union have joined, will also be introduced soon. The contents of the "Measures" deal with the terms of packaging and packaging waste disposal.

In recent years, the packaging office of the Ministry of Information Industry and the Electronic Committee of the China Packaging Technology Association have actively organized relevant departments and companies to research and develop and promote the use of environmentally friendly packaging materials such as honeycomb paperboard, pulp molding and bamboo plywood. It also organizes a series of activities such as technical seminars, on-site visits, and promotion and application in a multi-modal, multi-level, and multi-faceted manner. These activities have broadened the vision of packaging technology personnel and stimulated the potential. They have undoubtedly played a positive role in promoting the technological upgrading, process improvement, promotion and application of environmental protection packaging for electronic information products in China.

At present, the products packaging of Changhong, Haier, Hisense, Gree, Kelon and other Chinese branded home appliance manufacturers has been reduced to the direction of reduction, weight reduction and green environmental protection. The demand for new types of energy-saving and environmentally friendly packaging materials has continued to increase, such as mobile phones, Smaller and lighter electronic information products such as telephones, fax machines, printers, electronic keyboards, etc., gradually used pulp molding as cushioning packaging material to replace EPS foam plastics. In addition, some export-oriented equipment and household appliances are also packaged with honeycomb, cardboard, and other environmentally friendly materials to replace wooden pallets, boxes, and EPS foam cushions. For example, the “Changhong” Packaging Research Institute’s technology and design personnel have been diligently studying and using honeycomb paperboard as the main material, combining it with corrugated paperboard, paper corner protection, pulp molding and other environmental protection materials, has gradually formed “Changhong”. The branded air-conditioner, color TV, rear projection, audio-visual and other home appliance products are green packaging solutions, and gradually replace EPS foam plastic and wooden pallets and wooden crates, with satisfactory results. Last year, Changhong Company not only reduced the overall packaging cost of more than 20 million yuan, but also increased the company's brand and image, reduced the "white pollution" and opened a "green channel" for the export of foreign trade products.

The "greening" process needs to be accelerated

Discussions on environmentally friendly packaging of electronic information products are often reported in newspapers, but their application is still unsatisfactory.

At present, the use of pulp molded products is only about 2% of the packaging materials used in electronic information products, and less than 3% of honeycomb paperboard products. However, the inner packaging cushion of electronic information products is still the leading role of EPS foam plastics, and wooden pallets are still in heavy use. The replacement work is slow. According to incomplete statistics, the annual disposable wooden pallets consume about 100,000 cubic meters of wood.

The replacement work is so difficult. According to industry analysts, the main reason is that China's environmental protection packaging policies and regulations are not sound enough, and publicity, education, and implementation measures are not adequate. At present, environmental protection packaging materials manufacturing companies and application units are mostly self-issued, and there are no mandatory policies and regulations for protection. Most of the potential users are in a wait-and-see attitude. The alternative work is not positive. Secondly, most environmental protection packaging material manufacturers are private enterprises. Therefore, in general, they still need to be improved in some aspects, such as small scale, low technical level, weak self-reliance innovation ability, low management level, and direct The ability to participate in international market competition is not strong. Judging from the external environment, private companies have poor financing channels, credit guarantee systems and risk investment mechanisms are not perfect, and social intermediary service systems are not perfect. Therefore, enterprises have certain difficulties in the development of research, design, production, management, promotion, promotion, sales and other aspects.

All of the above reasons lead to backwardness in environmental protection packaging production equipment and manufacturing technology and technological level, which are manifested as problems in production and operation, such as less models, low efficiency, high energy consumption, large consumables, single varieties, poor quality, and high cost. . Therefore, it is still far from meeting the needs of electronic information product packaging until today. This restricts the promotion and application of environmentally friendly packaging materials and the healthy development of the industry.

How to exceed the "barriers"

"Green trade barriers" will continue to be an insurmountable technical obstacle for the developing members of the WTO. To this end, Chinese companies need to actively respond and jointly raise a clear banner of environmental protection. The author believes that the following measures are conducive to the ultimate realization of "green packaging" for electronic information products.
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First of all, under the guidance of macro-control policies, the competent government departments have accelerated the formulation and improvement of technical standards and laws and regulations related to environmental protection in the production and sale of various types of products. At the same time, it is necessary to step up publicity efforts so that people can establish their awareness of environmental protection through ideology and fully understand the significance of environmental protection for the sustainable development of the national economy. Take active response measures in action, such as the promotion of green environmental protection labels, the introduction of packaging pollution tax, to promote the packaging industry behavior into the standardization and legalization.

Followed by the realization of the green packaging industry. It is recommended to establish a group of companies that produce green packaging products as soon as possible, and establish decision-making control systems for those enterprises’ guidance, information, communication, consulting, and services, research and development, promotion and application systems, and industry coordination systems to build green packaging industrialization and overcome The negative effects of the packaging industry have prompted the healthy development of the environmental packaging industry. Therefore, the competent government department should take into consideration China’s national conditions, make necessary policy inclinations, give preferential treatment, and do its utmost to solve the problems of technology, talents, funds, etc. that appear in the production and business activities of enterprises, and promote the continuous improvement of management level of enterprises and increase the technological content and quality of products. , Lower production costs, and promote environmental protection packaging companies can regulate the market operation.