Electronic information products to create "green packaging" is imperative

In international trade, along with the gradual reduction or elimination of tariff trade barriers, some non-tariff barriers have been replaced by new technical barriers, green environmental protection barriers, and so on. Green trade barriers are becoming more and more insurmountable barriers.

As the world's largest developing country, many of its enterprises have suffered huge losses in the international market due to the fact that exports are mostly labor-intensive products. According to the statistics of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, due to non-compliance with environmental protection requirements, up to 8 billion U.S. dollars worth of export commodities are blocked by "green barriers" every year. Therefore, it is imperative for electronic information products to create "green packaging."

"Green packaging" is increasingly becoming a new non-tariff barrier

Green packaging is a kind of packaging concept and an ideal packaging. There is no strict uniform definition and evaluation standard yet. However, green packaging is increasingly becoming a new non-tariff barrier in international trade, the “green barrier”. The International Packaging Academic Discussion Conference held in 1996 identified the 3R principles of packaging waste disposal, namely Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. According to the 3R principle, people generalize the green packaging as follows: Under the premise of guaranteeing the packaging function, the materials used are the least, the waste is the least, and the packaging materials and products are non-toxic and harmless substances or elements; they do not affect the ecological environment, resources and humans. Physical health and property safety; packaging waste should be easily recycled, easily reused and recycled, or self-degraded without polluting the environment. These principles also provide a basis for the developed countries to build "green trade barriers." For example, in September 1998, China's export commodities were packaged with unfumigated wood materials. The U.S. Department of Agriculture believes that Tianlong cattle in the Asian region will be brought into the United States and will be banned from importing. It will send a warrant to the Chinese government for replacement of packaging. As a result, the return of China's original products caused huge economic losses; in some of China's home appliance export commodity packaging, foamed polystyrene EPS as a buffer material and toxic chloride ion PVC packaging material, which are subject to the International Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, were used. It is restricted or banned from importation by some countries; the European Union stipulates that from January 1, 1996, all imported electromechanical products must be affixed with the ecolabels OKO-Tex standard 100 and CE ecolabel on the packaging, and products that do not have the above-mentioned eco-labels must be attached. China has the right to refuse entry; in 2000, the EU took more actions in terms of environmental trade barriers and demanded that the recovery rate of household appliances and electronic information products be more than 60%, of which the recycling rate of packaging products should reach 85%. Formally implemented in January 2006.

On February 13, 2003, the European Union announced in its "Official Gazette" the "Spent Electronic and Electrical Equipment Directive" and the "Prohibition on the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment" (WEEE and ROHS Directive, hereinafter referred to as "Two" instruction"). The EU "two directives" are actually a very typical green environmental protection barrier. The "two directives" aim to maintain, protect and improve the quality of environmental protection, protect human health, and use natural resources rationally and prudently. All EU directives require the use of electronics. Electrical equipment must meet environmental 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, which affect the export of electronic information products in China to a certain extent. It is reported that Japan, the United States and other developed countries have also formulated similar laws and regulations. Once these laws and regulations have been introduced and implemented, the export of electronic information products in China will undoubtedly have an inestimable impact.

EU countries have successively imposed stringent restrictions and regulations on wooden pallets, wooden crates, EPS foamed plastics and adhesives, printing inks, paints, packaging materials, accessories, and packaging waste. The "Two Directives" 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. The solid green trade barriers of the European Union and other countries have been erected in front of export companies. According to statistics from the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China, about 8 billion U.S. dollars worth of export products are affected by the foreign environmental labeling system each year due to the economic losses caused by poor packaging and measures. The export products of 24 billion U.S. dollars do not meet the environmental standards of developed countries. Packaging requirements are blocked, and direct losses (such as cancellation of orders, detained goods, destroyed goods, additional new inspection and quarantine fees, demurrage charges, handling fees, etc.) and indirect losses such as high packaging waste disposal fees are incurred. The export of electromechanical products of 9 billion U.S. dollars was banned from production and sales due to the restrictions of the International Convention on the Protection of the Ozone Layer; the total impact of environmental barriers on China's foreign trade exports in recent years is equivalent to about 20% of the total amount of the year, of which only The environmental labeling system has enabled China to reduce exports by more than 4 billion U.S. dollars. With the rapid development of the electronic information industry, China has become a major country in the manufacture and export of electronic information products in the world. In recent years, the export of electronic information products has grown at an average annual rate of around 30%. In 2005, exports of electronic information products completed 250 billion U.S. dollars, accounting for one-third of the country’s total foreign trade exports, and accounted for about 20% of the world’s total trade in electronic information products. Green packaging is increasingly becoming a new non-tariff barrier - "green trade barriers." Therefore, it is necessary and urgent for China's export of electronic information products and packaging to strictly comply with internationally popular technical standards and environmental standards. At the same time, it is imperative that electronic information products create green packaging.

Electronic information products "green packaging" attracted more attention

Packaging is the continuation of the product production process and is also an important part of the product distribution process. The EU's "two directives" will accelerate the global environmental protection of electronic information products. It is undoubtedly 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 whole 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 people's environmental awareness, the environmental protection of electronic information product packaging has also received more attention. In response to the EU "two directives", the Ministry of Information Industry together with the Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Commerce, the General Administration of Customs, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, and other ministries and commissions prepared to last for four years, jointly formulated the "electronic information product pollution The "Control and Management Measures" (hereinafter referred to as the "Measures") will be implemented on July 1, 2006. The contents of the "Control Measures" also specify the packaging and packaging waste disposal. Because of the need to protect the environment, the electronic information industry has made great efforts to contribute to the prevention and control of environmental pollution. This work has been seized from the source and the entire process of product development, design, production, packaging, and sales has been completed before the product enters the market. Set the rules. For example, in the provisions of the Measures, it is emphasized that producers and importers of electronic information products should use non-toxic and harmless products according to national or industrial standards for the control of toxic and hazardous substances in electronic information products when they manufacture and use electronic information product packaging. Materials, techniques, and processes that are easily degradable and easily recycled.

In recent years, the Packaging Office of the Ministry of Information Industry and the Electronic Packaging Technology Committee of the China Packaging Federation have actively organized relevant departments and companies to discuss the development and promotion of the use of honeycomb paperboard, pulp molding, bamboo plywood, etc., which are in line with the development trend of international packaging industry materials. Packaging materials also held a series of activities such as exchanges, lectures, technical seminars, on-site visits, promotion and application in a variety of forms, multi-level, and multi-faceted activities. Through these meaningful activities, packaging and scientific personnel have broadened their horizons and stimulated their potential. They have played a positive role in promoting the technological upgrading, process improvement, promotion and application of environmental protection packaging for electronic information products in China, and have achieved encouraging results so far. , Changhong, Haier, Hisense, Gree, Kelon, Galanz, etc. The product packaging of China's leading home appliance manufacturers has been reduced to the direction of weight reduction and green environmental protection, and the demand for new energy-saving and environmentally friendly packaging materials continues to increase, such as mobile phones and telephones. Smaller and lighter electronic information products such as machines, facsimiles, printers, electronic keyboards, etc., gradually adopted pulp molding as cushioning packaging materials, replacing EPS foam plastics. Some of the equipments for exporting machine tools and household appliances are packed with honeycomb paperboard, bamboo glue board and environmental protection materials to replace wooden pallets, packing boxes and EPS foam cushions. Such as "Changhong" Packaging Research Institute of science and technology, designers, assiduously research, to honeycomb paperboard as the main material, and corrugated cardboard, paper corner protection, pulp molding and other environmental protection materials combined application, and gradually formed a "Changhong" brand air-conditioning, color TV The application of green packaging for home appliance products such as rear projection, rear projection, and audiovisual products has gradually replaced EPS foam plastics, wooden pallets and wooden crates, and has yielded gratifying 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 smooth "green channel" for the export of foreign trade products.

Environmental sign is an important means to overcome "green barriers"

After China's accession to the WTO, the developed countries imposed excessively stringent environmental standards and raised the "threshold" for trade. Non-tariff trade barriers have become a major obstacle to the export of electronic information products in China. Environmental signs are often used as an important means. As the largest developing country in the world, China's exports are mostly labor-intensive products, and many companies have suffered huge losses in the international market competition. Therefore, the potential advantages of developing the environmental protection industry in breaking the green barriers cannot be ignored. We should accelerate the formulation and improvement of technical standards and laws and regulations related to environmental protection in the production and sale of electronic information products in accordance with the development trend of green barriers, and promote the environment for foreign trade. Management is in line with international environmental protection laws and practices, strengthen environmental protection law enforcement, and implement the “Environmental Signs” system.

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development secretariat’s definition of an environmental label is: The environmental label is a sign for green environmental products that tell consumers that this product is more environmentally friendly than other similar products. The environmental label is a kind of mark that is awarded after the green environmental performance of the packaging product meets the required standard, and this sign will effectively enhance the market competitiveness of the product.

International standards have become the cornerstone of world trade. It has become the basic basis for the important technology of regulating markets and promoting international trade and cooperation. The most basic requirement for enterprises to develop externally and products to the world is to meet the requirements of international standards or advanced foreign standards. ISO14001 is an international standard for environmental management system developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). ISO14001 certification has become an important “weapon” to break green trade barriers and enter the international market. The establishment of the ISO14001 environmental management system is the basis for companies to promote international trade and cooperation. It is playing a more and more important role in the development of economic and social and international trade, such as facilitating the capture of “green trade barriers”; Enterprises improve efficiency, save resources, energy, reduce costs, increase economic and social benefits, protect the ecological environment; help establish a corporate environmental image, enhance market competitiveness, and win the recognition of users and consumers.

The author believes that the government authorities should use the opportunity of China's accession to the WTO to formulate and improve the corresponding policies and regulations and technical and environmental standards. It is necessary to learn from the advanced experience of developed countries and improve the technical level, but also actively guide and support packaging manufacturers. . To combine China's national conditions, start with packaging design, establish environmental protection design ideas, increase "green packaging" research and development and promotion of application. The development of green packaging is a systematic project that includes a variety of disciplines such as packaging containers, packaging materials, packaging technology, production processes, and waste disposal technologies. Therefore, it is proposed to establish a group of enterprises that produce green packaging products, and establish decision-making control systems, research and development, promotion and application systems and industry coordination systems for the guidance, information, communication, consultation and service of these enterprises, and build green packaging industrialization. Overcoming the negative effects of the packaging industry to promote the healthy development of the environmental packaging industry.

At the same time, we must increase the promotion of the environmental labeling system and encourage and support enterprises to carry out ISO14000 certification and environmental labeling certification.