National Development and Reform Commission Answers reporters' questions on "opinions on further strengthening plastics pollution control"

Recently, with the approval of the State Council, the national development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of ecological environment issued the opinions on Further Strengthening the control of plastic pollution (hereinafter referred to as the opinions), proposing to actively deal with plastic pollution, orderly prohibit and restrict the production, sales and use of some plastic products, actively promote recyclable, recyclable and degradable alternative products, and increase the supply of green products, A series of policies and measures have been taken to standardize the recycling of plastic waste, establish and improve the management system of each link, and effectively control the plastic pollution. The person in charge of the national development and Reform Commission answered reporters' questions on the opinions.

Q: The opinions put forward clear restrictions on the production, sale and use of some plastic products. What are the specific considerations?

A: To further strengthen the treatment of plastic pollution, first, according to the principle of reduction, put forward management requirements for the production, sales and use of plastic products, and realize the reduction of the source of plastic waste. When designing the relevant restrictions, we mainly consider the following three aspects.

First, according to the principle of seeking truth from facts, the category of prohibition is selected. During the drafting of the opinions, we carried out the activity of "I give advice for prevention and control of plastic waste pollution" on the national development and Reform Commission portal website, and collected a large number of opinions and suggestions on the control of restrictions. In addition, we also, together with relevant parties, have conducted in-depth industry research, carefully studied and analyzed, selected some plastic products with large use, relatively prominent problems and strong social reflection at this stage, and took the lead in prohibiting or restricting production, sales and use in some areas and regions.

Second, we should grasp the implementation rhythm according to the principle of orderly promotion. The opinions considered the difference of work and management basis in different fields, distinguished the alternative conditions of different categories, and classified the implementation rhythm and intensity of the prohibition measures. For those with mature conditions, production and sales are prohibited in an all-round way; for those that need to be promoted step by step, the implementation steps of the measures are specified in detail according to different time periods and different cities.

Third, the implementation of the prohibition measures is in accordance with the principle of grasping the fine and grasping the facts. The opinions stipulate the direction and objectives of the measures. In order to facilitate the actual implementation of various fields, we will update and release the list of restrictions on plastic products in time, and refine the scope and standards of the ban. At the same time, each region should further refine the specific measures of the prohibition control in accordance with the requirements of the opinions and local practice. In addition, the Ministry of ecological environment will strengthen the supervision and inspection of the work through joint special actions with relevant departments.

It should be noted that although the opinions have made arrangements for the measures of prohibition in accordance with the principle of stability and order, it will inevitably have some impact on the production and convenience of residents in some industries. The implementation of various measures requires the strong cooperation and support of all walks of life. In the follow-up, we will follow up and analyze the implementation of various regions and fields in a timely manner with relevant departments, and actively listen to the opinions and suggestions of all walks of life, and promote the work to be deepened.

Q: What are the considerations and specific measures in promoting the use of alternative products and cultivating new business models?

A: While promoting the reduction of disposable plastic products at the source, in order to optimize the product supply structure and explore the cultivation of sustainable new governance mode, the opinions, guided by recyclable, recyclable and degradable, proposes to promote and apply plastic products and related substitutes that are safe, controllable, up to standard in performance, environmentally friendly and economically applicable, and actively cultivate and standardize recycling and recycling New formats and modes of recycling and reducing plastic pollution.

First, increase the supply of green products. In terms of traditional plastic products, green design should be carried out to improve the recycling and reuse performance of products; relevant laws and regulations should be strictly implemented to require enterprises to produce plastic products that are harmless to human body and the environment; recycled plastics that meet the requirements of quality control standards and use control should be increased. In terms of new alternative materials, it is necessary to increase the R & D and application of degradable materials and other technologies, carry out key technology research and achievement transformation, improve product performance and reduce application cost, improve relevant standards of degradable plastics, ensure the safety and controllability of degradation products, and promote the orderly development of the industry.

Second, actively cultivate new models such as recyclable packaging. At present, in order to promote the green and recycling of express packaging, some supermarkets, e-commerce and express enterprises have actively explored and invested a number of new packaging equipment such as recyclable turnover boxes and express boxes, which have achieved good results; degradable packaging products have been promoted to a certain extent in some fields. Combining with practical experience in various aspects, the "opinions" put forward to focus on chain supermarket, wholesale of agricultural and sideline products, regional logistics warehousing, e-commerce express, etc., to promote enterprises to release recyclable and foldable logistics distribution equipment in various ways, and encourage the development of integrated packaging of goods and logistics. Support relevant enterprises to improve the utilization rate and recovery rate of recyclable boxes through the mode of "credit pledge, overdue deduction, and return of investment"; increase the investment of intelligent recycling facilities, enrich the terminal recycling methods of recyclable express packaging; promote the municipal governments to actively break the policy barriers of recycling express packaging intelligent recycling facilities into communities and public places, and reduce the body weight It is the operating cost.

Q: What are the specific requirements of the "opinions" on plastic pollution control in emerging fields such as e-commerce, express delivery and takeout?

A: In recent years, the consumption of plastic packaging for express delivery and plastic tableware for takeaway brought by emerging formats such as e-commerce, express delivery and takeout has been increasing rapidly, which has aroused widespread concern in the society. According to the opinions, the emerging fields are regarded as an important part of the plastic pollution control work. Based on the summary of relevant explorations in various regions, departments and relevant enterprises, the opinions put forward specific measures for further prevention and control of plastic pollution in emerging areas.

One is to clarify the requirements of prohibition and limit, and promote source reduction. The opinions put forward specific requirements for gradually banning the use of some plastic packaging materials in the fields of e-commerce, express delivery and delivery. Combined with the actual situation of the industry development, and considering that the transformation of people's consumption mode needs a certain process, the opinions made targeted arrangements on the implementation area and implementation period of relevant prohibition measures, and gradually promoted the green transformation of emerging areas.

The second is to compact the main responsibility and cultivate a new model. In the opinion, platform enterprises in the fields of e-commerce, express delivery and takeout are clearly defined as the main responsibility of strengthening green management, requiring them to strengthen the management of the business operators settled in the platform, formulate the implementation plan for reducing the amount of disposable plastic products, and release the implementation status to the society. Encourage the innovation of business model, promote the application of recyclable packaging, commodity logistics integration packaging, establish recycling logistics distribution equipment recycling system.

Third, increase support and actively carry out pilot projects. In order to further promote the prevention and control of plastic pollution in emerging fields and green transformation of the industry, and promote the formation of pattern change, the opinions proposed to strengthen the support for key projects such as the construction of Green Express Logistics and distribution system, the launching and operation of specialized intelligent recycling facilities, the establishment and improvement of green management and evaluation standards in the fields of e-commerce, express delivery and delivery, and actively carry out recyclable packaging Large scale use of new products and new models of pilot demonstration, and promote the first breakthrough in key cities.