New regulations for degradable plastics are released, where is the development direction of the plasticization industry?

At present, the Thai Retailers Association and shopping malls, supermarkets, convenience stores, etc. cooperate to stop providing plastic bags on the fourth day of each month, and consumers who do not use plastic bags can get bonus points. This campaign reduced the use of plastic bags by about 2 billion in 2019 alone. After the "plastic limit" was passed, the Thai Retailers Association and the government launched a "Say No to plastic bags every day" campaign, and about 24,500 distribution channels of the association's 75 members stopped providing plastic bags from January 1, 2020.

Thailand will ban the import of plastic waste by 2025. The first phase, starting in 2023, will determine the amount of plastic waste to be restricted based on actual production capacity; Starting in 2024, only 50% of plastic waste will be allowed to be imported; A total ban on the import of all plastic waste by 2025. Thailand's Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Vorawu, said this was an important step in getting Thailand rid of plastic waste.

Germany: Increase recycling rates to promote circular economy

Walk into any supermarket in Berlin, you can always see customers at the entrance with large bags of empty bottles busy in front of the bottle return machine, soft plastic bottles 0.25 euros, hard plastic bottles 0.15 euros... When all the bottles are released, the customer receives a supermarket voucher, which is also the deposit already paid for the bottled drink. Today, this empty bottle recycling policy has become a unique example of the circular economy in Germany.

The plastic bottles recycled by these supermarket bottle removal machines participate in the circular economy in different forms: hard plastic bottles are sorted, collected by professional recycling companies, transported to beverage manufacturers, cleaned, sterilized and refilled to market, and can be reused about 25 times; Soft plastic bottles (PET plastic bottles) are compressed and sent to plastic recycling enterprises, chopped and reduced into plastic particles for the manufacture of new plastic bottles, textiles or other plastic products. According to the statistics of the German Packaging Market Research Association, 34% of the recycled PET plastic bottles are used to produce new beverage bottles, 27% are used to produce plastic bags, 22.6% are used to produce textile fabrics, 16.4% are used for others, and the overall recycling rate reaches 93.4%.

According to Thomas Fischer, head of circular economy at Environmental Action Germany, an environmental group, the recycling rate of empty bottles in Germany is already more than 98%. This successful experience has led to new commercial innovations, and in addition to beverage bottles, some companies have also launched specialized recycling containers for bathroom products.

In Germany, plastic beverage bottles will be marked with 100% renewable plastic in a prominent position, biscuits, snacks, pasta and other food bags have also begun to use a large number of renewable plastics, and even in the supermarket warehouse, packaging product films, plastic boxes and pallets for delivery, are also made of renewable plastics.

The continuous improvement of plastic recycling in Germany is related to the increasing popularity of environmental protection concepts and the tightening of product packaging laws in Germany and the European Union. The process is accelerating amid high energy prices. At present, Germany is trying to further promote the "plastic limit" in reducing the amount of packaging, advocating the implementation of reusable packaging, expanding high-quality closed-loop recycling, and setting mandatory recycling indicators for plastic packaging. Germany's move is becoming an important standard in the EU.

Austria: Supermarkets will fully introduce a deposit system for plastic bottles and cans

In the fight to reduce waste and promote a circular economy, the Austrian government is revising two measures that directly affect the retail sector. From January 2024, supermarkets will be obliged to provide between 10 and 15 per cent of their total reusable packaging for beer, water, juice, milk and soft drinks.

Fixed plastic bottles and cans cost 25 cents more

In addition, to meet the EU target, a deposit system for plastic bottles and cans will be introduced in 2025. This provides for 77 percent of single-use plastic bottles to be collected by 2025 and even 90 percent by 2029. €110 million to switch to one-time deposits and reusable bottles

According to a statement, supermarket chain Hofer is now the first discount store in Austria to invest in beverage container recycling and, together with circular economy leader "Tomra ", offers its consumers empty container return machines (like milk glass bottles). Deposits for plastic bottles and cans can cost up to 30 cents.

"This service is not only good for the environment, but also has a positive impact on the customer!" In Austria, 63,000 tons of cans and plastic bottles are sent into the environmentally friendly circular economy each year, according to the supermarket, killing two birds with one stone.