The Green Transformation of Plastic Flexible Packaging

01 The Gap Between Ideal and Reality: The "Chinese Dilemma" of Single-Material Recycling

Undeniably, single-material packaging (such as all-PE or PP) theoretically possesses superior recyclability. European and American countries have made some progress in this area thanks to their well-established recycling systems, higher public environmental awareness, and relatively standardized packaging designs. However, this model has encountered multiple practical barriers in China, especially in the flexible packaging sector.

First, there is the contradiction between technical functionality and recycling costs. The core value of flexible packaging lies in its lightweight and flexible characteristics, providing high-strength barrier properties, freshness preservation, and durability. To replace traditional multi-layered composite structures, single-material packaging often requires more complex processes and higher raw material costs to achieve similar performance. More importantly, the recycling and sorting costs of low-value recyclable materials in China, especially flexible packaging contaminated with oil or contents, are extremely high. According to industry estimates, the cost of sorting, cleaning, and regranulating one ton of waste flexible packaging far exceeds the market value of its recycled materials, resulting in a lack of economic incentive for the recycling process and making it difficult to form a sustainable business loop.

Secondly, there is the practical bottleneck of the recycling system. China generates a massive amount of urban household waste, and the shrinking informal recycling system, represented by scavengers, means that a very low percentage of low-value soft packaging enters the recycling chain from the residential end. Most of it is mixed with dry waste or other types of waste, and the final decision on its fate has shifted from "how to recycle" to "how to dispose of it."

02 The Overlooked "National Solution": The Advancement and Value Reassessment of Waste-to-Energy Incineration While the path to material recycling is fraught with difficulties, China has quietly completed a "quiet transformation" in the field of end-of-life waste disposal—the rapid development of waste-to-energy incineration technology and remarkable progress in pollutant control.

In the past, public awareness of waste incineration may have been limited to concerns about pollution such as dioxins. But today, China's waste incineration industry is vastly different. By adopting advanced grate furnace technology and strict flue gas purification systems (such as the combined process of "SNCR + semi-dry + dry + activated carbon adsorption + bag filter"), modern waste incineration plants have pollutant emission standards that are stricter than those of the European Union, and dioxin emissions are controlled at extremely low levels. This provides a solid technical and environmental safety foundation for the "energy-based recycling" of plastics.

More importantly, a phenomenon with distinctly "Chinese characteristics" is emerging: due to the large-scale commissioning and efficient operation of incineration power generation facilities, many cities are facing a "waste shortage."

This indirectly confirms the reliability of incineration technology as a means of waste reduction, harmlessness, and resource recovery. Due to its high calorific value, flexible plastic packaging is an excellent "combustion aid" during incineration; the calorific value of one ton of waste plastic is approximately equivalent to one ton of standard coal. Putting it into an incinerator not only significantly reduces the land occupation and long-term pollution risks associated with landfilling but also efficiently converts it into electricity, generating tangible economic benefits. This means that for low-quality flexible packaging with extremely poor economic viability in recycling, incorporating it into an efficient energy recovery system, rather than expending huge social resources to pursue an unattainable material cycle, may be a more practical and cost-effective "green solution."

03 Beyond Western Narratives: Building a Sustainable Development Strategy for Flexible Packaging with Chinese Characteristics

In addressing plastic pollution, China needs to maintain strategic focus, voice its opinions, and develop solutions based on its national conditions.

① Top-level design should encourage "categorized policies"

For high-value, easily recyclable rigid plastic bottles, the recycling system should continue to be vigorously promoted. However, for flexible packaging, which accounts for a larger proportion and is difficult to recycle, policies should be pragmatic, guiding it towards efficient and clean energy recovery channels and acknowledging its environmental value as an "energy carrier" at the current stage. This requires moving beyond the single evaluation indicator that "recycling rate" equals "material recycling rate" and establishing a more comprehensive waste resource utilization assessment system that includes "energy recovery rate."

② Vigorously promote the scientific concept that "energy recovery is also resource recovery"

Guiding the public and brand owners to understand that sending flexible plastic packaging to modern waste incineration plants is not "un-environmentally friendly," but rather a superior way of resource utilization under current conditions. This helps reduce brand owners' excessive pursuit of "pseudo-environmentally friendly" concepts in packaging selection, shifting their focus to the carbon footprint and environmental impact throughout the entire life cycle.

③ Continuous Technological Innovation, Unwavering Long-Term Exploration
Emphasizing the practical feasibility of energy recovery does not mean abandoning the exploration of recyclable materials research and development. The industry should still encourage the development of new structural materials that are easy to recycle and actively explore cutting-edge technologies such as chemical recycling to prepare for future improvements in the economics of recycling. However, at this stage, it is important to avoid sacrificing packaging functionality or incurring excessive costs to cater to concepts.