China releases draft regulations on use and report of single-use plastics

China’s Ministry of Commerce on July 16 published a draft of the Measures on the Use and Reporting of Single-use Plastic Products (一次性塑料制品使用、报告管理办法) to solicit comments (it was open for comments until August 15).

According to statistics, more than 100 million tons of plastic materials, which plastic products are made from, were produced in 2020, but only 16 million tons of waste plastics were collected. This data indicates that a vast amount of uncollected plastics are flowing into the environment, including the sea, and causing pollution. The draft measures were published in the government’s bid to control such plastic pollution. Here is an overview of the measures.

Scope

Retailers, e-commerce businesses, restaurants, hotels, galleries and other types of businesses must comply with the measures when they provide single-use plastics for customers in their business activities.

Rules for the use of single-use plastics

• Relevant businesses must comply with the national regulations for the ban and restrictions on single-use plastics.
• E-commerce platforms must set rules for the reduction and substitution of single-use plastics, and establish a framework for consumers to judge whether businesses on the platform comply with the national regulations for the ban and restrictions on plastics.
• E-commerce platforms are encouraged to create a list of recommended single-use plastic suppliers and provide it to businesses for their reference.
• E-commerce platforms are encouraged to motivate consumers to use products that contribute to environmental protection and use less single-use plastics by giving them points for their e-commerce purchases, making use of the green credit system, etc.

Rules for reporting on single-use plastics

Relevant businesses must report on the use and collection of single-use plastics every six months to the local competent commerce department through the national reporting system for the use and collection of single-use plastics.

The draft measures also stipulate penalties, including a fine of up to 100,000 yuan (approximately $15,000) against violators of the regulations.

The full text of the draft measures (in simplified Chinese) is available at
http://www.mofcom.gov.cn/article/au/av/z/202107/20210703175700.shtml