In January 2023, the "upgraded version of the plastic restriction order" officially came into effect nationwide, prohibiting the use of non degradable disposable plastic straws in the catering industry nationwide; Encourage the active use of biodegradable and reusable food containers. After the implementation of the new regulations, what replacements and upgrades have been made in the packaging and tableware of the food delivery industry? The reporter conducted a visit in Beijing.

Beijing: Upgraded 'plastic restriction order', multiple catering companies start food delivery 'dress up'

At a tea shop in Beijing, the reporter noticed that the main component of the straws in the shop is PLA polylactic acid biodegradable material. The relevant person in charge introduced that compared to paper straws, which have problems such as easy softening, insufficient suction, and a strong paper smell that affects the taste during use, the upgraded biodegradable straw in the store is closer to plastic straws in terms of user experience.

At a Yunnan food restaurant, the person in charge of takeout showed reporters two environmentally friendly lunch boxes specially designed for popular dishes, rice noodles and Steamed chicken in casserole. It is reported that since last year, restaurants have gradually started replacing takeaway packaging boxes with biodegradable ones. Considering their inability to withstand high temperatures, they have designed and customized meal box styles for different dishes and dining scenarios.

In addition, under the dual needs of epidemic prevention and holidays, online New Year's Eve dinner bookings are hot, and many businesses have put some effort into the packaging materials for New Year's Eve dinner takeout. In another restaurant's New Year's Eve dinner set, the reporter saw that hard dishes such as fish head pancakes were packaged with aluminum foil, clay jars, and other reusable materials that balance sealing and insulation performance.

The reporter also learned from the supplier that currently, customized packaging that is environmentally friendly and also takes into account the dining experience is increasingly favored by businesses.

Gao Wanqin, Chairman of Jiangxi Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd. : PLA modified raw materials and other end products, such as packaging boxes. Durable polylactic acid products, such as children's tableware, used to not sell this material, but now manufacturers are calling to demand it. The material should have been sold for three to four million yuan per month.

Under the upgraded plastic limit order, many catering enterprises have improved their customer experience and brought brand benefits by upgrading their packaging. What opportunities does the packaging upgrade of food delivery bring to enterprises in the supply chain?

At a packaging company in Beijing, the person in charge, Liu Yunqiao, told reporters that since the beginning of this year, they have received a significant increase in orders for plastic packaging alternatives. Among them, many customers have made additional customized upgrades in packaging design. After the Spring Festival, he plans to continue increasing the production scale of environmentally friendly packaging such as biodegradable tableware.

Chairman of a packaging company in Beijing: We used to mainly produce traditional products such as knives, forks, spoons, etc., which were mostly made of traditional PET materials. Now we are replacing this part with biodegradable polylactic acid or bamboo knives, forks, and spoons. Degradable plastics are expected to achieve a production value of over 10 million to 20 million this year, accounting for more than 10% to 20% of our company's overall proportion.

However, due to the generally high cost of environmentally friendly raw materials such as polylactic acid, insufficient upstream supply has caused significant price fluctuations. On the one hand, enterprises face frequent price adjustments, and on the other hand, they have to consider customers' annual budgets, which makes it difficult for enterprises to grasp their production and operation. Therefore, while expanding production capacity, they have also increased their research and development of new materials.

It is reported that the implementation of the new version of the "plastic restriction order" has driven many traditional product enterprises to transform and upgrade towards environmentally friendly fields such as biodegradable food box plastics. According to Tianyancha Professional Edition data, nearly 2300 new biodegradable related enterprises were added in 2020, a year-on-year increase of 38% compared to last year. In addition, industry experts have stated that the upgraded version of the plastic restriction order not only explicitly prohibits and replaces one batch, but also encourages the promotion of recyclable packaging and the establishment of a resource recycling supply chain. These are all directions that enterprises should explore in the future.