Editor’s Note: In recent years, every traditional festival, western festival, or man-made festival such as "double 11, Double 12" has become a selling point of Internet merchants’ hype and a "carnival" for young netizens who never leave home. According to the statistics of China E-commerce Research Center, the online shopping transaction volume during the "double 11" in 2017 was about 253.97 billion yuan. Some overseas media said that e-commerce in China will have a far-reaching impact on the business world and the global society. In the praise at home and abroad, behind the "new normal" of online shopping, some problems are gradually exposed. The increase in the volume of transactions has brought about the prosperity and development of the express delivery industry. However, the number of express delivery has surged, and the pollution and harm caused by excessive packaging and illegal packaging have attracted more and more attention. There are also fakes, counterfeit goods and defective products on the online shopping platform, which is followed by difficulties for some consumers to protect their rights; The chaos of e-commerce brushing, speculating and deleting bad reviews has also triggered thinking about the regulatory responsibility of online shopping platforms. The Internet is not a place of extra-legality, and online shopping cannot lose its supervision. Recently, People’s Daily reporters concentrated on interviewing and investigating many problems brought by online shopping.

Small workshops for processing "recycled materials" are full of rubbish of unknown origin. (Photo by People’s Daily reporter Xia Xiaolun)
Recently, the data released by the State Post Bureau showed that in 2017, the national express delivery business volume reached 40.1 billion pieces, a year-on-year increase of 28%; Business income reached 495 billion yuan, up 24.5% year-on-year. The total amount of express delivery in the whole country exceeded 40 billion, which means that the domestic express parcel distribution has entered the era of 100 million daily average.
How are plastic packaging bags used in major express delivery companies produced? Does the production process meet the relevant standards? What harm will such a bag bring to people and the environment? In this regard, the reporter of People’s Daily Online Interview Center conducted an in-depth investigation and interview on the industrial chain of express bags.
During the interview, the reporter from People’s Daily witnessed the important links in the production of plastic bag raw materials: the doors are closed, the lights are dim, and the 300-square-meter factory is full of all kinds of garbage, which will be processed into a kind of raw material called "recycled material", commonly known as blowing material; And these "recycled materials" will be used to produce express packaging bags that we can reach every day, commonly known as blown film. In order to avoid the inspection of government supervision departments at all levels, the production line of this factory started irregularly.
The processing threshold of "recycled materials" is low, the cost is low and the environment is polluted.
At present, all links in the industrial chain of express plastic bags in China are "fighting in their own way", and there is no resource cycle of "raw material production-use-recycling", and "raw material production" is both the source and the most easily overlooked key link. In the industry, the raw materials for making express plastic packaging bags are generally divided into three types: recycled materials, brand-new materials and environmentally friendly materials. Obviously, the cost of environmental protection materials is the most expensive, and the cost of recycled materials is the lowest, which is why many manufacturers choose recycled materials to produce bags.
On Alibaba’s 1688 purchasing and wholesale platform, the reporter has also been confirmed. Through the search for the keyword "express bag", dozens of manufacturers are arranged, and the selection is sorted by sales volume. The highest one has a cumulative turnover of more than 3 million bags, and the obvious source of its express bag is "returned materials", that is, recycled materials.

The purchasing platform shows that most of the materials of the courier bags sold are "recycled materials".
In this regard, the reporter asked a number of companies that manufacture and sell plastic packaging bags for express delivery. Many companies said that there are few environmentally-friendly materials at present, and the plastic bags used for express delivery are basically the cheapest recycled materials. The market demand is large and the supply is sufficient. The recycled materials can be delivered on the same day. If you buy new materials, you need to order them in advance.
The process of using recycled materials to produce express bags is not illegal in itself, but the garbage raw materials used to produce recycled materials are confusing and difficult to trace back to their sources. "Non-compliant recycled materials are the fundamental source of these’ toxic’ courier bags." An industry insider who asked not to be named told the People’s Daily reporter.
"Medical waste and chemical waste are the main sources of these recycled materials. Many medical wastes have not been cleaned, and there are a lot of potential virus and bacterial infections in them. Chemical waste is only useful in making plastic bags. Therefore, the production lines of recycled materials are mostly hidden in remote villages and are not easy to be discovered by the regulatory authorities. " The industry insider said.
A hidden workshop of several hundred square meters, a simple machine worth tens of thousands of pieces, can produce about 2 tons of recycled materials in one day, so the low processing cost also makes many lawless elements rush for it. The pollution caused by the plastic recycling process is often seen in newspapers: illegal sewage discharge will cause serious pollution to local groundwater, soil and agriculture; A large number of toxic gases emitted during processing will also pollute the air and affect people’s health …
Exclusive unannounced visit: returning materials, processing, hiding, hiding garbage, and unknown sources of raw materials.
The reporter from People’s Daily Online Interview Center went to East China for an interview, where there are a large number of express packaging manufacturers. Among them, there are many enterprises producing express plastic bags in filial piety town at the junction of Jinhua and Yiwu.
In a medium-sized packaging processing factory, the reporter saw the production process of express bags. Five machines, working at the same time, can produce more than ten tons a day. Next to the machine, a large number of raw materials are piled up, and the words "Don’t use" are written on some raw materials. When the reporter asked about the source of these raw materials, the staff was slightly mysterious: "These raw materials come from all over the world and are all old friends of the boss. We don’t know the specific situation."

Enterprises use recycled materials to produce express plastic packaging bags. (Photo by People’s Daily reporter Jia Xingpeng)
The reporter found that it is easy to find a company that produces express bags in the industrial zone of filial piety town, and did not see the factory building that produces raw materials upstream. But the reporter got a positive answer from this packaging factory: near the Donghuang line in jindong district, there are hidden small workshops producing so-called recycled materials.
After the visit, the reporter learned from a staff member of a garbage collection station that there were few recycled materials processing plants, and obtained the telephone number of Ren, the owner of a processing plant. What the reporter saw next just confirmed the statement of the above-mentioned insiders.
Ren told reporters by phone that the raw materials they produced have been in great demand in the market recently. Due to the local inspection teams of safety supervision, environmental protection, industry and commerce, many processing plants for recycled materials have closed down, and only his company is hiding in the village, which is relatively remote and can still supply.
"Our raw materials (recycled materials) are in short supply, and the price is 7,500 yuan a ton. If you want the goods, you have to book them in advance." Ren said on the phone.
Subsequently, the reporter learned the specific location of the factory building on the grounds of checking the specific finished products. Starting from the center of Jinhua, drive more than 20 kilometers along the Donghuang line, turn north into a rugged dirt road at the intersection of a bus stop sign marked "Jingyanggang", and turn around for about 2 kilometers. The reporter saw several rows of factories standing in the fields.

Hidden recycled materials workshop and the recycled materials produced. (Photo by People’s Daily reporter Xia Xiaolun)
The reporter asked at the scene that one of them was Ren’s processing factory, but the door was closed. It was an old man who opened the door for the reporter. "We were still producing two days ago, and the wind was tight these two days, so we stopped working. Let’s have a look first," the old man said.
The 300-square-meter factory building is dimly lit, and most of the space is occupied by all kinds of garbage. In the middle of the factory building is a machine that looks very old, and next to it is the dark blue recycled material produced. The reporter visually observed that the recycled materials stored in the factory are about 5 tons.
"Now the government is strict in checking and closing many factories. Now there is a great demand for our raw materials in the market. Our machines can produce about 2 tons a day. If you have enough 20-30 tons of a car, you will ship it out. " The old man told reporters.
The reporter immediately asked the old man whether the garbage used in the production line to make recycled materials was obtained through formal channels. In this regard, the old man is secretive: "We have been working in this village for four or five years. These garbage raw materials are sent by relatives for many years, and the price is cheap. It is simply not available in the market."
The unknown source of garbage raw materials is the key to the emergence of express "toxic" packaging. In this regard, Lei Zhu, vice president of Qingdao Research Institute of Beijing Institute of Printing, believes that there are many sources of toxic and harmful substances in express plastic bags, such as heavy metals, COD (chemical oxygen demand) emissions generated during printing, plasticizer carcinogens such as sticky powder or dioxins, and microbial populations brought from biological and medical wastes and chemical plants, which will bring certain harm to the environment and human body.
The industry calls on the express delivery industry to promote green packaging
The reporter found that the vast majority of plastic packaging bags for express delivery are also harmful to the environment and human body when they are recycled. It is understood that the degradation cycle of harmful waste produced by express plastic packaging is more than 200 years, and it will pollute soil and groundwater; However, when express garbage is burned, it will produce dioxins, which will seriously endanger human health and pollute the atmosphere.
In addition, many recycled materials are made of unwashed medical waste and useless chemical waste, which will also endanger hundreds of thousands of couriers who have been exposed to express packaging bags for a long time.
In this regard, the above-mentioned insiders suggest that at present, recycled materials are banned in supermarket shopping bags in China, and it is also hoped that recycled materials will be banned in the entire express delivery field. With the rapid development of e-commerce network, couriers and consumers have more and more contact with plastic packaging bags for express delivery, and their health will also be endangered.
Lei Zhu also said that the use of recycled materials is in line with the concept of circular economy, because it recycles the used plastic waste. "However, it is necessary to classify the waste to prevent toxic and harmful carcinogens from entering the recycled recycled recycled materials." He said.
In this regard, Lei Zhu suggested that it is necessary to clarify the definition and standards for the use of green packaging bags in the express delivery industry, speed up third-party inspection and testing institutions, and make the government’s supervision and testing more reasonable; In addition, a green packaging evaluation system should be established and the pilot experience should be popularized.
Huang Zhigang, dean of the School of Materials and Mechanical Engineering, Beijing Technology and Business University, believes that the economic and environmental significance of degradable materials is gradually emerging, and the use of biodegradable materials is an inevitable trend from the general trend.
The report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China emphasized that "the spatial pattern, industrial structure, mode of production and way of life should be formed to save resources and protect the environment".
Practice tells us that to get out of this dilemma, we need consensus and more implementation. In addition to enhancing consumers’ concept of green life, we also need to rely on environmental protection technology innovation in the industry and regulatory policies of relevant departments. Many government departments have also made beneficial explorations on the large amount of plastic waste produced by the express delivery industry.
On November 2, 2017, He Lifeng, director of the National Development and Reform Commission, said that the National Development and Reform Commission will work with relevant departments to study and adjust the "Plastic Restriction Order" and formulate relevant implementation plans to take the lead in restricting the use of a series of non-degradable plastic packaging in take-away industries.
Also on the same day, the State Post Bureau, the National Development and Reform Commission and other 10 departments jointly issued the Guiding Opinions on Promoting Green Packaging in Express Industry (hereinafter referred to as the Opinions), which pointed out that the top-level design will be further optimized, the source management will be promoted, the supply of green express service products will be increased, and the express delivery will be improved in accordance with the principles of "government guidance, social participation, innovation-driven, source management, classified guidance and local conditions".
In addition, the Opinions also pointed out that in 2020, the application ratio of degradable green packaging materials will reach 50%, and packaging materials with excessive special substances such as heavy metals will be basically eliminated. The utilization rate of electronic waybills will reach more than 90%, and the average consumption of each express packaging material will be reduced by more than 10%.
Unannounced visit to the source of the courier bag: returning materials, processing, hiding garbage, and the source of raw materials is unknown.