Excessive packaging should be over
Weifang Fusion Media commentator Song Yulu
A few days ago, the State Administration for Market Regulation held a press conference to discuss the recently approved GB 23350-2021 “Restricted Commodities” The relevant situation of the National Standard No. 1 Amendment Sheet for Excessive Packaging Requirements for Food and Cosmetics was introduced, which will be implemented from August 15, 2022. According to this mandatory national standard, the number of packaging layers for rice dumplings and moon cakes cannot exceed three layers at most, and the packaging materials must not use precious metals and mahogany materials. In addition, the State Administration for Market Regulation will organize a special rectification action for excessive food packaging in the near future.
Dragon Boat Festival is just around the corner, and this move by the State Administration for Market Regulation has undoubtedly sounded the alarm for many zongzi manufacturers. Whether it is Zongzi for the Dragon Boat Festival, moon cakes for the Mid-Autumn Festival or gift boxes for other festivals, almost all of them are “hardest hit” by over-packaging. There are only a few products in the gift box, but they are packaged inside three layers and three layers outside, which not only raises the price by being flashy, but also causes waste.
Returning packaging to simplicity is the responsibility of practicing economization. One of the major hazards of excessive food packaging is the waste of resources and environmental pollution. After people finish eating the gift box, the remaining packaging becomes garbage, which brings great pressure to the environment and goes against the concept of green development in my country. Food production enterprises should implement the concept of green production, starting from resisting excessive packaging, and strictly self-discipline, so that food production is moderately economical, green and low-carbon.
Let the packaging return to simplicity, and the quality can be seen more clearly. The move of the State Administration for Market Regulation is not to restrict the principle of free trade in the market economy, but to clarify the principle of “focusing on content and light packaging” for commodities from the ideological root. If you only pursue gorgeous packaging and ignore the quality of the goods, isn’t it an act of abandoning the basics? In order to stand out in the fierce market competition, enterprises must adhere to “product first, quality is king” at all times, and provide consumers with more high-quality products in order to achieve long-term development.
Returning packaging to simplicity is also saying “no” to excessive consumerism. Different from the ancient advocacy of “gift is light and affectionate”, today’s holiday gift giving is more like “gift is light and packaging is heavy”. Packaging should not be a measure of friendship, much less a tool to compare each other and encourage extravagance. Excessive consumerism is by no means the right way to expand domestic demand. We should advocate the value orientation of reasonable and moderate consumption, and call on the whole society, especially contemporary young people, to establish a correct consumption outlook.
After resisting excessive packaging, it can also encourage merchants to continuously optimize product packaging design, increase the proportion of simple packaging, and promote the use of recyclable and degradable recycling. It can reduce the transportation pressure and save the cost of food packaging. For consumers, it can not only spend less money on packaging, but also curb the comparison of gifts, and instead pay more attention to the quality of the product itself, and have a healthier and greener festival. With so many wins, why not do it?