China Mandates Greener Express Packaging in New Rules

China’s first mandatory national standard targeting excessive express packaging officially took effect on July 1, 2026, marking a significant escalation in the country’s efforts to green its massive logistics industry, which handles over 100 billion parcels annually. The “Requirements for Restricting Excessive Express Packaging” (《限制快递过度包装要求》), developed by the State Post Bureau and approved by the State Administration for Market Regulation, establishes a quantifiable “3×3” indicator system to regulate packaging box fit, packaging layers, and sealing tape usage, according to Xinhua News.

What the New Rules Require

The standard directly addresses four common excessive packaging problems: large boxes for small items, excessive filling material, too many packaging layers, and excessive sealing tape. Under the new framework, box dimensions must match item size across three tiers, with strict diagonal multiplier limits. Non-fragile items are capped at two packaging layers, while fragile items may use up to four layers across 25 subcategories. Tape width is limited to 45 millimeters, with length restrictions calculated based on box dimensions.

“This standard targets four typical excessive packaging problems and, through the establishment of a ‘3×3’ indicator system, provides quantitative guidance and standard norms for the industry’s precise governance of excessive packaging,” a State Post Bureau official told state media.

Industry Already Adapting

Major logistics companies have been preparing for the regulation since its publication in December 2024, which provided an 18-month transition period. SF Express, one of China’s largest courier companies, reported significant progress in 2025, reducing raw paper use by approximately 46,000 tons and plastic use by about 35,000 tons, achieving carbon emission reductions of roughly 130,000 tons.

“In recent years, we have carried out reduction, standardization, and scenario-based innovative R&D on materials such as plastic film, tape, paper, and seals,” said Lu Peng, Senior Manager at SF Express’s Packaging Innovation Lab.

Zhongtong Cloud Warehouse has deployed its self-developed Jingtian warehouse management system across nearly 300 warehouses nationwide. The system automatically recommends optimal box sizes based on product dimensions with over 94% accuracy, reducing cardboard usage by an average of 15% per shipment.

Broader Progress in Green Logistics

The new standard builds on the revised Interim Regulations on Express Delivery that took effect in June 2025, which for the first time included a dedicated chapter on express packaging. According to a comprehensive report from China Youth Daily via the State Post Bureau, the industry has already achieved notable milestones: packaging standardization has reached 86%, box layers and bag thickness have been reduced by over 50%, tape width has been cut by 25%, and smart packing algorithms have reduced material usage by nearly 20%. The annual recovery and reuse of cartons now exceeds 800 million units, and 95.83% of e-commerce parcels ship without secondary packaging.

Challenges Ahead

Despite significant progress, challenges remain. Green packaging technologies still face higher costs compared to conventional materials, and end-of-life collection and recycling infrastructure remains incomplete. Lin Hu, Spokesperson and Director of Market Regulation at the State Post Bureau, emphasized the need for coordinated action.

“Express packaging governance is by no means a task for a single field; it requires upstream and downstream coordination and precise policy implementation across the entire chain,” Lin said.

What’s Next

The State Post Bureau has indicated it will continue to strengthen the regulatory framework, promoting circular packaging, original packaging, e-commerce integrated packaging, bamboo-based alternatives, and smart packing algorithms. The agency plans to advance full-chain governance of express packaging, plastic pollution control, and carbon reduction across the collection, transfer, transport, and delivery processes.

As Professor Lu Bo of the Beijing Institute of Graphic Communication noted: “This is not a multiple-choice question, but a mandatory one. Green development in the postal industry has become a consensus across society.”