European Parliament approves plastic limit order: the limit of disposable plastic products is approaching! Aluminum packaging will win a big chance!

On October 24, the European Parliament passed an overwhelming support vote in Strasbourg, France, over a broad proposal to ban the use of disposable plastic products.

The following day, the European Parliament approved the proposal by 571 to 53 votes. According to the proposal, the EU will ban the use of disposable plastic products with alternatives, such as plastic straws, disposable earplugs, dinner plates, etc. by 2021. In addition, fishing nets that currently cause major pollution in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic will also be re-produced.

Belgian legislator Frederick Reed: In less than 65 years, 8 billion tons of plastic products were produced, and 6 billion tons of garbage was produced. In terms of numbers, there are 4 billion tons in Europe, and the ocean has become garbage. Barrels, facing a severe test.

In the next few weeks, the proposal will continue to be discussed in the European Parliament, the European Commission and EU member states before the proposal becomes legislation.

On May 28 this year, in order to curb increasing marine pollution, the European Commission proposed a "plastic limit order" plan, proposing to ban plastic tableware (including straws, cutlery, etc.), cotton swabs, balloons and brackets, plastic lunch boxes, and plastic cups. , Plastic bottles, cigarette butts, plastic bags, potato chip bags (sugar paper) and wet tissue paper and other disposable plastic products. For plastic bottles, the EU requires member states to achieve a 90% recycling target by 2025. According to the plan, it is required to change the outer packaging of products such as wet tissue paper and balloons, and indicate their impact on the environment and methods for proper disposal of garbage. In addition, the "Plastic Restriction Order" also stipulates that EU countries must reduce the use of plastic food containers and beverage cups.

European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans said: Plastic waste is undoubtedly a big problem and Europeans need to take joint action to solve this problem because plastic waste will eventually enter our air, soil, sea and food. The European Commission added in a statement that the proposal is expected to save consumers 6.5 billion euros a year and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 3.4 million tons by 2025. According to regulations, the relevant plans need to be approved by the European Parliament and the European Council. This time the European Parliament passed this proposal, which has taken a big step towards the legislative goal of this proposal.

According to reports, the European Union also plans to achieve more than half of plastic waste recycling by 2030, which will expand the scale of plastic waste recycling and classification industry.

The European Parliament (European Parliament) is one of the three major European Union institutions (EU Council, European Commission, and European Parliament). It is the EU's participating legislative, supervisory, budget, and advisory body. Its status and role and its power to participate in decision-making are gradually expanding. The European Parliament is the only directly elected parliamentary body in the European Union. The European Parliament is special: since 1979, its members have been directly elected by the people of the EU member states.

It is well known that the problem of plastic waste pollution is even more serious in China. At this year ’s NPC and CPPCC meetings, members of the National People ’s Congress and CPPCC members focused their attention on e-commerce “garbage”, especially plastic packaging waste, and made suggestions for the greening of express packaging waste. Common packaging items such as plastic lunch boxes, plastic bags, cartons, tapes, and foams in our lives are flooding us while facilitating our lives, seriously threatening the environment, ecology, and health, and increasing the consumption of resources and energy. This may seem like a trivial matter, but it is actually a national matter. The deputies of the National People's Congress and CPPCC members come from various places, have different occupations, have different perspectives, and can represent public opinion. The problem cannot be avoided, it must be faced, and an important step is taken for the quick resolution of the problem. According to the collection and arrangement of the Shangqing era, at least 15 deputies 'suggestions and members' proposals related to plastic restriction, which shows that the people's appeal for plastic restriction has been deafening! In addition, Li Chong and other NPC deputies made suggestions to expand the application of aluminum foil in the field of catering and food packaging to promote green consumption.

It is foreseeable that in the next step, the Chinese government and some local governments will issue corresponding policies and regulations to restrict plastic packaging and curb plastic waste pollution.

In the context of the above situation, aluminum packaging materials are bound to become important plastic packaging alternatives. Whether at the domestic or international level, the aluminum and aluminum packaging industry will usher in new development opportunities. Related institutions and enterprises need to seize the opportunity to further develop Strategies and measures to expand the aluminum packaging market. While meeting the needs of society, we will strive for new business opportunities and make industry contributions to the sustainable development of society. This cause will work for the present and benefit from the past.

Aluminum is a packaging material with excellent properties, which has been widely integrated into the human lifestyle. The form of aluminum packaging also shows diversified trends, including aluminum cans, food cans, aluminum bottles, aluminum tubes, aluminum aerosol cans, aluminum bottle caps, can lids, closures, aluminum foil lunch boxes and containers, aluminum foil bags, and aluminum composite packaging. , Household foil, etc. Aluminum packaging materials and products have obvious advantages in terms of thermal conductivity, light weight, formability, protection, resource conservation, recycling, decoration and health and safety.

However, aluminum packaging materials are facing some negative perceptions and debates, and there is a threat of material substitution. Some simple messages and slogans put aluminum packaging under special pressure. From professionals and environmentalists, zero packaging is better for the environment; packaging is a waste of resources; the reuse of packaging materials benefits the environment; and the best strategy is to continuously reduce carbon dioxide emissions. More misconceptions from consumers are: aluminum packaging is toxic and harmful to the body; aluminum packaging is too expensive and is a luxury product.

In order to respond to the negative information on aluminum packaging, relevant organizations and enterprises in the aluminum industry have begun to act in unison to deliver the correct information to the industry and consumers through a series of communication activities.

The Aluminium Association has launched the "Aluminium for Packaging" website. The website is based on the theme of "Aluminium protects the future". It systematically introduces the advantages, progress and technology of aluminum in packaging, and introduces the application of aluminum packaging in North America, Europe, Japan, Brazil and China.
http://packing.word-aluminium.org

The Global aluminum foil manufacturers Initiative has been established for many years, and its purpose is to coordinate related actions on the sustainable development of aluminum foil to promote the growth of the aluminum foil market and promote the innovative development of the industry. Through a series of case studies, information dissemination, conference activities, technical support, user communication, etc., the organization issued the same voice to promote the growth of aluminum foil in the global market.
www.global-alufoil.org

The European Aluminum Foil Association launched a "rotating 360-aluminum bottle cap" information dissemination project to systematically introduce the advantages of aluminum bottle caps, convenience to consumers, and contribution to sustainability.
www.aluminium-closures.org

The China Nonferrous Metals Processing Industry Association and the Global aluminum foil manufacturers Initiative have organized the "China Aluminum Foil Innovation Award" and the "Aluminum Packaging Public Welfare Display Promotion" for many years in a row to disseminate information about aluminum packaging and encourage innovation and manufacturing of aluminum packaging.
www.cnfa.net.cn

The above-mentioned related organizations and enterprises hope to emphasize the greater voice of aluminum packaging in the debate:
— Aluminum packaging reduces waste by effectively protecting food and beverages;
—Aluminum packaging is non-toxic and harmless, safe and reliable. The so-called "aluminum poisoning" is caused by excessive aluminum additives in food, and has nothing to do with metal aluminum packaging;
—Aluminum is an efficient packaging material with low material consumption;
— Recycling of aluminum packaging is conducive to sustainable development;
—Aluminum packaging saves resources by facilitating storage and transportation through lightweighting;
—The best life cycle assessment and environmental impact of aluminum packaging


Background information: 8 system advantages of aluminum packaging
Protective
Aluminum can completely block light, gas and moisture. This is the main reason for its application in the packaging industry. It can be used for packaging food, beverages, medicine and other technical fields. Aluminum packaging helps reduce waste while saving energy. Aluminum cans are lightweight and portable, and are not easily broken, leaving the packaging (beverages, cosmetics or medicine and health products) intact.
Thermal conductivity
Aluminum has a high conductivity that minimizes the time and energy associated with food processing, refrigeration and secondary heating, while also minimizing the time and energy required for canned and bagged cold drinks. During processing and packaging, aluminum foil utensils can withstand temperature changes very well, and its use temperature can be from rapid freezing to extreme baking and grilling, during which the aluminum foil does not deform, crack, melt or scorch.
Lightweight
The light weight of aluminum packaging helps to save energy. The energy-saving process runs through the energy related to product preparation, transportation and storage, and is also conducive to the storage and transportation of scrap products. Aluminum cans are getting lighter (13 grams) and aluminum foils are getting thinner (0.007mm). They are the most efficient packaging method with the highest product-to-pack ratio, and they consume the least packaging material.
Easy to process
Aluminum is easy to form and has ductility. Aluminum foil has unique sealing and folding characteristics, which can be used for packaging of many different products, while also minimizing the amount of sealing material. Can be made into a variety of cans and tubes, which further reflects the diversity of consumer products. It can be produced on a large scale without reducing the production speed. With the shortest product cycle, it can quickly reflect the changes in market demand trends.
save resources
The energy consumption of aluminum foil packaging is less than 10% of the total energy required in the supply chain. If the energy generated by incineration or recycling is considered, the ratio of aluminum foil packaging to the total energy consumption will be lower. Compared with the energy required for the production of packaging materials, proper packaging of food can save more energy. In the retail sector, lightweight packaging means significantly improved transportation efficiency, while also significantly protecting the environment. At the same time, aluminum packaging also extends product retention and protects product quality.
Recycling
Aluminum has recyclable value. Compared with primary aluminum production, the energy required to recover aluminum is only 5% of primary aluminum. For most aluminum products, aluminum is not actually consumed during the life of the product, but is in use. Aluminum beverage cans are the vessels with the highest recovery rate, and the aluminum foil in most products is also recycled. Modern separation technology can recover and refine the aluminum foil in household scrap products, and the aluminum foil that has not been recycled enters the incineration process. Then, the thin aluminum foil layer will oxidize and release the energy that can be recovered. More importantly, the unoxidized aluminum at the bottom of the incinerator can be refined and then flowed into the recovery channel.
Health and safety
During the production of aluminum foil, a high-temperature annealing sterilization process is used. Therefore, the aluminum foil can be safely contacted with food and medicine, and will not contain or help the growth of bacteria. Medical aluminum blister and aluminum tube have hygienic and protective features. This kind of packaging can block the interference of external factors, including heat, moisture, bacteria and odor. The aluminum substrate of the can body has strict requirements for toxic elements. The inner wall is coated with a food-grade coating and will not react with the beverage.
Decorative
Aluminum has a bright metallic luster, is compatible with all printing technologies at the same time, and has good decorative properties, allowing designers to give full play to their imagination and design wonderful patterns and brand logos. Therefore, beverage cans, bottle labels, aluminum bottle caps, candy foils, and tubular cosmetics can be made from aluminum.