Against the backdrop of advancing the global "dual carbon" goal and increasingly stringent environmental policies, the fabric packaging film industry is facing unprecedented pressure and opportunities for environmental transformation. The traditional plastic material packaging film has gradually become a bottleneck for the development of the industry due to its difficulty in degradation and susceptibility to environmental pollution. The rise of environmental protection trends is driving enterprises to actively explore multiple aspects such as material research and development, production processes, and recycling, seeking a path of green and sustainable development.
Policy driven, environmental protection has become a mandatory requirement for industry development
In recent years, governments around the world have introduced a series of strict environmental policies to regulate and restrict the use of packaging materials, providing a strong policy driving force for the environmental transformation of the fabric packaging film industry.
In China, the continuous upgrading of the "plastic restriction order" has a profound impact on the fabric packaging film industry. The relevant departments have explicitly proposed to gradually prohibit the production and sale of ultra-thin plastic packaging films with a thickness less than 0.025 millimeters, and encourage enterprises to use biodegradable and recyclable environmentally friendly packaging materials. At the same time, the country also emphasized in the 14th Five Year Plan to promote the green development of the packaging industry and improve the recycling rate of packaging waste. The introduction of these policies has forced enterprises to increase their investment in environmental protection, research and develop environmentally friendly fabric packaging films that meet standards.
Internationally, the EU's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) imposes strict requirements on textile packaging materials entering the EU market. According to regulations, the proportion of recyclable materials in packaging materials needs to be increased year by year, and there are clear norms for the disposal of packaging waste. The United States, Japan and other countries have also introduced similar policies to raise the environmental threshold for imported textile packaging. These changes in international policies have led to a sharp increase in demand for environmentally friendly fabric packaging films among China's export-oriented textile enterprises, further promoting the industry's environmental transformation.
The rise of biodegradable materials reshapes the material landscape of the industry
The research and application of biodegradable materials is a key measure for the fabric packaging film industry to respond to environmental trends. More and more companies are turning their attention to bio based and biodegradable materials, attempting to solve the environmental problems caused by traditional plastic films through material innovation.
Biodegradable materials have become a research and development hotspot. Polylactic acid (PLA), polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT), starch based materials, etc. have gradually emerged in the production of fabric packaging films due to their biodegradable properties. Taking starch based materials as an example, they mainly use crop starch such as corn and wheat as raw materials, and are made into biodegradable films through special processes. The starch based fabric packaging film developed by a certain packaging material company can be decomposed into water and carbon dioxide by microorganisms in a natural environment in just a few months, with almost no pollution to the environment. Moreover, the company has solved the problems of low strength and poor water resistance of starch based materials through technological improvements, enabling products to maintain good flexibility while possessing tensile strength and durability similar to traditional plastic films.
In addition to biodegradable materials, the application of recyclable materials is also constantly expanding. Some companies use recyclable materials such as polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) to improve the recycling rate of materials by optimizing production processes. They have established a comprehensive recycling system, which recycles the used fabric packaging film, and through processes such as cleaning, crushing, and granulation, produces new packaging film raw materials to achieve resource recycling.
Building a recycling system to promote the development of circular economy
Building an efficient recycling system is an important link in achieving the environmentally friendly development of fabric packaging film. At present, many enterprises and institutions in the industry are actively exploring recycling models to promote the development of circular economy.
Some companies have partnered with local waste recycling companies to establish a regional fabric packaging film recycling network. In areas where the textile industry is concentrated, multiple recycling stations should be set up to facilitate textile and logistics companies to recycle the used packaging film. The recycled packaging film is preliminarily classified and processed, and transported to professional recycling and processing enterprises for deep processing. For example, a recycling enterprise in Shaoxing, Zhejiang can recycle and process thousands of tons of fabric packaging film every year. Through advanced processing technology, the recycled plastic film is made into recycled plastic particles for the production of other plastic products, achieving the recycling of resources.
In addition, some industry associations and organizations are actively promoting the construction of recycling systems. They have established unified recycling standards and norms, guiding enterprises and social forces to participate in recycling work. At the same time, by conducting promotional activities, we aim to raise awareness among textile enterprises and the public about the importance of recycling fabric packaging film, and create a positive recycling atmosphere.
Green production process innovation, reducing pollution in the production process
In addition to material and recycling processes, green innovation in production processes is also an important direction for the environmental transformation of the fabric packaging film industry. Enterprises reduce energy consumption and pollutant emissions during the production process by adopting energy-saving equipment, optimizing production processes, and improving waste gas and wastewater treatment technologies.
In terms of energy conservation, many enterprises have introduced advanced energy-saving equipment such as blown film machines and extruders. These devices adopt new heating and transmission systems, which reduce energy consumption by 20% -30% compared to traditional devices. At the same time, enterprises optimize production plans, arrange production batches reasonably, reduce equipment idle time, and further improve energy utilization efficiency.
Enterprises have increased their technological investment in the treatment of exhaust gas and wastewater. For the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) generated during the production process, advanced treatment technologies such as activated carbon adsorption and catalytic combustion are adopted to ensure that the exhaust emissions meet national environmental standards. In terms of wastewater treatment, a comprehensive sewage treatment system has been established to classify and treat the wastewater generated during the production process. Through multiple processes such as sedimentation, filtration, and biochemical treatment, the treated wastewater meets discharge standards or achieves water reuse.
The trend of environmental protection is profoundly changing the development pattern of the fabric packaging film industry. From policy driven to material innovation, from the construction of recycling systems to green production processes, every aspect of the industry is transitioning towards environmental protection. Although enterprises face challenges such as high technology research and development costs and difficulty in market promotion during the transformation process, with the continuous enhancement of environmental awareness and technological progress, environmentally friendly fabric packaging film will inevitably become the mainstream of industry development, providing strong guarantees for the green and sustainable development of the textile industry.
